Stella's figure disappeared from the spot, rushing into the Liberation Army's formation and starting a massacre.
Facing the terrorists who had been attacking Vermilion, she showed no mercy. Every swing of her sword took the lives of several, or even dozens, of enemies.
Flames continuously surged, and the terrifying high temperature swallowed the Liberation Army's attacks. Neither ordinary hot weapons nor the more powerful special magical tools had any effect.
[Stella successfully defeated Wardgo, congratulations on obtaining the White Trait: Theft.]
[Stella successfully defeated Warddi, congratulations on obtaining the White Trait: Intimidation.]
[Stella successfully defeated Beckham, congratulations on obtaining the Green Trait: Firearms Mastery.]
At the same time that Stella was clearing out the terrorists, a series of notification sounds rang in Tatsuma's ears.
Perhaps because the enemies were all ordinary people, most of the traits dropped after their deaths were white traits.
Compared to Devils and Grim Reapers, these terrorists' strength was very ordinary.
Their ability to cause trouble depended on having Blazers leading them on one hand, and hot weapons on the other.
"Better than nothing, I guess." Tatsuma shook his head slightly, accepting reality.
Unless he abandoned his principles and launched a massacre, opportunities for a bountiful harvest like with the Old Satan Faction were not many.
On the other side, after a brief battle, the Liberation Army's morale was completely shattered by Stella.
Facing a monster they couldn't injure at all, yet one that could easily take their lives, these terrorists experienced the feelings of the ordinary people whose lives they had taken.
"Mon...monster!!!"
An unspeakable fear spread in their hearts, and a terrorist from the Liberation Army dropped his weapon and fled. Influenced by him, the surrounding terrorists also left their weapons and ran towards the depths of the cave.
But just then, a cold snort sounded.
The next second, a cold light flashed, and these terrorists who took the lead in fleeing were cut in half at the waist.
"Finally, a capable enemy has arrived."
Stella's gaze sharpened, and the flames on her body scattered in all directions.
After completely engulfing the surrounding terrorists, the firelight illuminated the cave.
Only then did they see a middle-aged man in black and gold battle attire, holding a greatsword, walking towards them from the depths of the cave.
"One of the Twelve Apostles, Wallenstein."
"The Crimson Princess of Vermilion, huh? I didn't expect you to be able to find this place. You do have some skill."
Wallenstein emitted a dense killing intent, preparing to launch a preemptive attack.
However, just then, his peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of the man behind Stella.
"Hmm? You are..."
Wallenstein's pupils instantly contracted to pinpricks, and his face showed an expression of disbelief and shock.
"Impossible! Why is the Red Dragon Emperor here?!"
"Of course, I'm here for you." Tatsuma walked up leisurely.
"Damn it!"
Wallenstein clenched his teeth, decisively pushed his ability to the limit, and swept his sword horizontally.
Friction was canceled, and the greatsword accelerated at an extremely terrifying speed, accumulating terrifying energy. Under Wallenstein's control, this energy transformed into a slash that shot out straight.
Based on the horizontal line of the attack, the walls on both sides of the cave were severed. Looking from above, the entire mountain peak was cut in half at the waist in that instant.
The terrifying slash continuously accelerated in the air, arriving in front of Tatsuma in the blink of an eye.
"Is this the legendary Bergschneiden? The power is indeed astonishing."
Stella used Dragon Spirit, and fiery red phosphorescence flickered on her body.
Her essence and spirit merged into one, and the next moment she gathered all her strength into a single point and smashed down with her fist.
Boom!
A deafening roar sounded, and Wallenstein's full-power strike was received by Stella with her bare hands just like that.
Seeing this scene, Wallenstein's expression became even more shocked, and he turned and ran backwards.
"Want to escape?"
Shaking her numb wrists, Stella took a step forward, and the ground instantly shattered. With the boost from the reaction force, she turned into an afterimage, caught up to Wallenstein, and threw another punch.
"You fell for it just like that. It seems you are more reckless than I expected."
Wallenstein suddenly stopped, the shocked expression on his face disappeared, and his gaze became cold.
As a professional killer, he knew better than anyone what it meant to expose one's back to the enemy. The fear and surprise were deliberately acted out. Everything was done to lure Stella into the trap.
His ability activated again, and Wallenstein completely canceled the friction on his body. Stella's fist landed on him, and it slid to the side as if it had lost its point of force.
At the same time, Wallenstein raised his greatsword.
"`Don't move, or else..."
Boom!
Before his words could fall, Stella's fist had already smashed onto the ground. Like fragile glass, the ground began to rapidly indent and collapse, turning into pieces.
Wallenstein's expression changed drastically.
The original plan to take a hostage was shattered by Stella's attack.
Losing their footing, he and Stella were mixed in the shattered rocks and fell towards the ground below.
However, just then, a pair of wings unfolded behind Stella. Waving her wings, she flew in the sky, and the aura on her body further expanded.
After that, Stella charged towards Wallenstein again.
"Foolish! This kind of attack is useless against me!"
Wallenstein maintained the activation of his ability, canceling all friction on his body.
The next second, Stella appeared directly in front of him. Flames wrapped around her hand, and a powerful strike fell with a roar.
Boom!
A terrifying force penetrated Wallenstein's defense, his body caved in into a V-shape, and he was sent flying.
All the shattered rocks on the way were blasted apart, and Wallenstein crashed straight into the ground, creating a huge crater.
"It's over."
Stella followed closely and landed.
Overwhelming flames bloomed around her, and the falling shattered rocks from the sky melted.
"Cough... Why... why did your attack penetrate... my defense?"
Wallenstein spat out a large mouthful of blood, his lifeless eyes filled with confusion.
Stella's strike was terrifyingly powerful. Not only did it shatter his spine, but it also pulverized his internal organs.
The fact that he hadn't died instantly was entirely due to clinging onto his last breath, wanting to clarify this doubt.
"My Dragon Spirit, in essence, materializes the power of the mythical dragons onto my body."
"As one of the legendary Two Heavenly Dragons, Ddraig possesses an ability called Penetrate."
Stella raised her finger and poked the air, a 'bang' sounded, and a dent appeared on the ground.
"Do you have any last words, Wallenstein?"
"..."
Wallenstein did not reply.
After receiving Stella's explanation, the last glimmer of light in his eyes began to dissipate.
However, just then, a magic circle unfolded on Wallenstein's body, extracting his soul.
Stella was startled for a moment, looking towards Tatsuma who had appeared behind her at some point.
"Stella, you were too careless just now."
"Cough, but I won, didn't I?" Stella showed a hint of embarrassment on her face.
She had originally planned to take down Wallenstein with the first strike, but she didn't expect to be blocked by the opponent. If she hadn't reacted in time, shattering the ground and creating distance from Wallenstein, she might have actually been injured.
"By the way, what are you doing?"
"Checking his memories, gathering information."
"Information?"
"This is just the headquarters of the Liberation Army, and not all members of the Liberation Army are stationed here."