NFBE Book 5: Chapter 187: Reflect
Book 5: Chapter 187: Reflect
Book 5: Chapter 187: Reflect
Fight? Three hours? Could it be that...
Ness glanced at Lady Erica, her face masked and her head bowed as if she had dozed off. A gleam sparkled in his eyes.
Lilith unfolded the map and studied it for a long time before pointing to what seemed like a lake at the center of it, marked by a rectangle for some unknown reason.
“What’s this?” she asked.
Ness glanced at it before clarifying, “It’s a lake at the center of this small world. The rectangle in the middle of it indicates a small island.”
“A perfectly rectangular island?”
Lilith scrutinized the markings of the other islands. They were all roughly depicted in shape except for this rectangle, which stood out starkly.
Ness shook his head, explaining, “It’s not that the island itself is rectangular. There are no rectangular islands in this world. However, there’s a mountain on the island that has a rectangular shape, so that’s why it’s marked as a rectangle.”
“A rectangular mountain? That’s interesting. This shall be the place then.” Lilith’s eyes lit up, nodding at the spot with interest.
Turning to Ness, Lilith declared, “When you return, tell everyone—whether they’re part of the Anti-Princess Alliance or not—if they find Lady Erica too arrogant or an eyesore, they can challenge her there in five days. One-on-one or in groups, it’s their choice.”
Lilith’s bold proclamation left Ness reeling, who instinctively replied, “Alright, alright, we’ll relay the message.”
“Off you go then.” Lilith dismissed them with a wave. “Or are you expecting me to keep you for dinner?”
Startled, Ness and Brady quickly gathered Ballmer, preparing to depart.
“Wait.” Lilith suddenly stopped them.
She pointed at the unconscious Ballmer and demanded, “Where are his five Holy Dragon’s Hearts? Hand them over.”
Upon hearing Lilith’s questions, relief washed over Ness before a troubled look quickly appeared on his face again.
“B-But... he’s unconscious.”
“The blonde girl?” Fear appeared on Ballmer’s face as he recalled the battle. “When she punched me, it felt like I was being hit by a legendary, ancient, and powerful demonic ape that could split mountains with its fist. I was disoriented instantly; my mind went blank until I started calling for help. I was just acting on instinct.”
He smiled wryly. “Sorry that all of you had to see that. I’ve truly embarrassed myself.”
“No worries, I’d probably fare worse in that situation,” Ness replied, then changed the subject. “Apart from her strength, did you notice anything else about her?”
Ballmer pondered carefully before replying, “Not really, but she smiled really happily while beating me up.”
Ness stared at him speechlessly.
That’s not what I meant... And seriously, how could you still notice her smile when you were being pummeled?
“Speaking of which, I don’t know if I was imagining things, but her punches seemed to lose power over time,” Ballmer suddenly recalled.
“Really?” Ness’ eyes immediately lit up.
“Yeah, each punch seemed weaker than the last,” Ballmer pondered for a moment before confirming.
“The first one was the most terrifyingly strong. But then they gradually lost their force. Honestly, those last punches that knocked me out should have been manageable if they were thrown earlier in the fight,” he added.
“I see, I see...” Ness rubbed his chin, pacing back and forth. “In that case, maybe that blonde girl isn’t as strong as we thought.”
“Did something happen?” Ballmer asked.
“Well, she spoke on behalf of Lady Erica again,” Ness replied, then recounted Lilith’s words to Ballmer.
After listening to Ness’ account, Ballmer fell into a long silence. Instead of reacting with anger and disdain, he thoughtfully asked, “What do you plan to do? Spread Lilith’s message to the rest of the Anti-Princess Alliance?”
“Yes.” Ness nodded, then clenched his fist decisively. “And more than just spreading the message. I want to gather as many people as possible and take them down.”
“What? You want to retaliate?” Brady exclaimed before Ballmer could respond. “Are you out of your mind? It’s only been a few minutes, and you’ve forgotten how terrifying they were? You’ll get yourself killed!”