Sophia looked at the Lone Death Wolf's corpse as it slowly began to crumble. Her crimson aura erupted once more, shattering the remnants of his body and reducing them to black ash that drifted into the air before disappearing as though he had never existed.
At the same time, she focused on the Wolf's final move before his defeat: scattering his Path into countless tiny fragments across every corner of the Outer Continent. In doing so, he had created seeds of the Path of Death, each carrying the imprint of his spiritual essence. Every seed buried itself deep within the earth or inside the bodies of living creatures that had come into contact with the shattered aura, ensuring that, one day in the distant future, when one of those dark seeds matured within a being that followed or was influenced by his Path, he would be be able to awaken once again. This had been his final safeguard and his last escape plan before drawing his final breath. Even if it required countless ages, his Path of Death would continue to spread, extending beneath the world like unseen roots beneath the soil.
Sophia grasped the hidden danger instantly and felt a powerful urge to hunt down every one of those scattered fragments and cleanse them one by one. She knew that allowing those seeds to remain meant that her battle had not truly ended her enemy. One day, the Wolf might return in another body, under another name, yet driven by the same eternal hunger for death. She prepared to move immediately in pursuit of the scattered fragments. Before she could take a single step, however, she heard her father's voice.
"Do not, my little one. Focus on what comes next."
She abandoned the thought of pursuing them and closed her eyes to regain her inner composure. She fully understood how dangerous the final technique she had used in the battle had been. She had completely abandoned all of her defenses, allowing the power of the Path of Death to pierce her body.
She had done so in order to concentrate every last remnant of her own Path of Slaughter into a single strike. Its true target had never been the Lone Death Wolf's physical body, but the very essence of his Path itself. Her strategy had been both brilliant and insane to allow death to enter her, then deliver the fatal thrust that would slaughter the Path of Death at its very roots. Through that single strike, she had shattered her opponent on the conceptual level. Her plan had succeeded beyond expectation despite its immense risk. Had she failed to withstand the overwhelming force of death that invaded her body, she would have been erased completely, never to return. Her body would have disintegrated from within, and even her own Path might have collapsed.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Suddenly, deafening explosions echoed across the skies of the Outer Continent. Layers of the atmosphere trembled, the earth shook violently, and the winds transformed into raging storms. Then, in a breathtaking spectacle, a brilliant blue radiance burst forth from where Sophia stood, as though she herself had become a beacon. The light spread across the vast continent in a single instant, washing over mountains, valleys, forests, deserts, and inland seas alike.
At the same location, an immense torrent of natural energy descended upon her like a torrential rain. It healed her instantly and miraculously, renewing every exhausted cell within her body and erasing every trace of fatigue that had burdened her shoulders. Even her breathing, which had been ragged only moments before, returned to its calm, natural rhythm, as though she had just awakened from a deep sleep. More than that, however, her strength did not merely recover , it advanced dramatically. Every cell in her body trembled with the exhilaration of newfound power, while every aspect of her Path of Slaughter continued to expand and evolve.
At the same time, as that vast ocean of natural energy poured into her, a gigantic circular ring of pure blue descended from the sky. It resembled a second moon hanging in the sky. As it approached, it gradually shrank until it reached an appropriate size before settling behind her head.
It did not remain blue for long. Its color rapidly shifted from azure to a deep blood-red crimson, as though the ring itself had adapted to Sophia's murderous nature and the essence of her Path. It became a new symbol, proclaiming to the entire world that she had ascended to the rank of King.
Several minutes later, as the immense flow of energy finally stabilized within her body, Sophia slowly opened her blue eyes. The world now appeared entirely different, as though she had been reborn. She noticed the crimson ring resting behind her head and felt the warmth radiating from it.
"So... this is what it means to be a King."
she murmured, feeling the overwhelming power coursing through her body like a raging flood. Along with that power came an incredible surge of vitality that extended her lifespan by tens of thousands of additional years. She also realized that her strength was still increasing, for the crimson ring behind her head continued to nourish her without end.
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