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Chapter 200: The First Contractor in the Magical World?
The three of them walked down the castle corridors in complete silence.
As they drew closer and closer to the woman known as the Queen, the atmosphere grew suffocatingly heavy.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Snow White's heart began to hammer wildly against her ribs, completely out of control. A tidal wave of panic violently swept through her body.
I knew it. I can't do it. I still can't overcome the fear.
She gripped the fabric over her chest, feeling her heart threatening to burst out of her ribcage. Slowly, the panic seized her lungs, and her breathing grew ragged and shallow.
Suddenly, her legs gave out. She stopped dead in her tracks. Her mind went completely blank, her entire body going numb before erupting into violent, uncontrollable tremors.
"Are you alright, Snow White?" Suyan asked softly, stepping closer.
Magical Roe, walking a few paces ahead, also stopped. He looked back at the girl who had once been his closest childhood friend, his eyes filled with profound sorrow and worry.
If he could, he would have rushed to her side to comfort her just as Suyan was doing. But he had no right to do so. He could only stand on the sidelines, waiting silently for the princess to pull herself together.
He had no other choice. Retrieving the princess was a direct order from the Queen. As much as it pained him, he couldn't—and didn't dare—defy her. His power, his ÄRMs, his very life were bestowed upon him by the Queen. He lacked even a fraction of the courage Snow White possessed in trying to escape her control. In many ways, the young princess was infinitely braver than a useless coward like him. Not only had she dared to flee, but she had actually returned to face the Queen head-on.
All Magical Roe could do was pray that the man standing beside the princess—the man she implicitly trusted—possessed the sheer, overwhelming power required to protect her. Otherwise, this wasn't facing her fear; this was throwing herself directly into the jaws of death.
Snow White looked up at Suyan. She desperately wanted to tell him she was fine, that she could keep walking. But when she opened her mouth, her vocal cords seized up. She couldn't form a single coherent word.
I overestimated myself after all, she thought bitterly.
Suddenly, a large, warm hand rested on her head, gently stroking her hair.
"It's okay," Suyan said gently. "The fact that you've made it this far has already exceeded all my expectations."
Under her tearful gaze, Suyan turned his back to her and crouched down, gesturing over his shoulders. "Climb on. Leave the rest to me. If you're too scared, you can just close your eyes."
"Mhm!"
Seeing how incredibly thoughtful and considerate he was, Snow White felt a massive surge of warmth flood her chest. She wanted to say so much, but words still failed her. In the end, she settled for a heavy, resolute hum of agreement.
She obediently climbed onto his broad back, wrapping her arms securely around his neck. Pressing her small body tightly against his spine, she followed his instructions and squeezed her eyes shut.
"Up we go," Suyan murmured, hooking his arms firmly under her soft thighs and standing up smoothly.
With her chest pressed tightly against his back, Suyan could distinctly feel her violently racing heartbeat slowly begin to steady, returning to a normal, peaceful rhythm.
"Let's keep moving, Magical Roe," Suyan said, shifting his gaze back to the clown.
"R-right," Magical Roe nodded. He turned around and resumed leading the way.
However, perhaps in a silent bid to give the princess more time to compose herself, his walking pace was noticeably slower than before. Suyan noticed, but didn't say a word.
Snow White, resting with her eyes closed, remained completely unaware of the clown's subtle kindness. Surrounded by the absolute sense of safety radiating from Suyan's body, she actually felt as though the second half of the journey passed by in a flash.
Soon enough, they arrived before a massive set of ornate double doors.
The doors were already open. Magical Roe stepped inside first.
Waiting for them in the center of the opulent chamber was a figure of absolute regal elegance. The woman wore a stunning, form-fitting dark purple gown and possessed a cascade of vibrant pink hair. Although the lower half of her face was concealed behind an intricate half-mask, her graceful posture and the deep hue of her hair clearly betrayed her striking resemblance to Dorothy.
This was Diana, the Queen of the Chess Pieces, and Dorothy's older sister.
Magical Roe walked up to Diana and bowed deeply. "Your Majesty, Princess Snow White has returned. Accompanying her is a friend, the newly appointed Zodiac Knight of the Chess Pieces."
"I am aware. You are dismissed, Magical Roe," Diana replied.
Her voice was incredibly soft. It flowed like a crystal-clear mountain spring, carrying the soothing cadence of a gentle evening breeze. It was almost impossible to reconcile such a tender, maternal voice with the ruthless tyrant who had plunged the entire magical world into apocalyptic war.
Once Magical Roe had left the room, Diana shifted her gaze to the girl resting on Suyan's back.
"Snow White," she spoke with profound gentleness, "I am so very happy to see that you've managed to make a friend during your time away. But surely you've had your fun by now? It is time for you to return and fulfill your duties."
She didn't sound like a wicked stepmother from a fairy tale. She sounded exactly like a loving, doting older sister scolding a runaway sibling.
But the very second Diana spoke, Suyan felt Snow White's breath hitch violently. The heart that had finally calmed down began hammering against his spine like a trapped bird once more.
"Since you are a friend of Snow White's, you are automatically a most honored guest of the Lestava Kingdom," Diana said, seamlessly shifting her attention to Suyan with flawless royal courtesy. "I thank you for looking after our Snow White on her journey."
"If there is anything you desire, please, speak freely. So long as it is within my power, I will do my utmost to grant it."
"Is that so?" Suyan smirked, cutting straight to the chase. "What if I said I wanted you, Your Majesty?"
Diana was an incredibly complex individual.
In Dorothy's memories, the Diana of the past had been a kind, gentle witch of Caldia, a woman who loved peace more than anyone else. But over a decade ago, she had been manipulated by the Orb Phantom had unsealed. Through dark, forbidden magic, she had used fragments of the Earth girl Koyuki's soul, combined with magic stones, to artificially create Snow White.
She then implanted the infant into the womb of the Queen of Lestava. By ensuring Snow White was born in the magical world while Koyuki existed in the real world, Diana forged an unbreakable, living tether between the two dimensions. From that day on, the two girls became two sides of the same coin. Whenever Snow White slept, she dreamed of Koyuki's life on Earth. Whenever Koyuki slept, she dreamed of Snow White's life in the magical world.
Eight years ago, Diana had stolen 798 rare ÄRMs—including Babbo—and fled Caldia. She manipulated the King of Lestava, covertly established the Chess Pieces, and ignited the flames of war. At the same time, she secretly passed the Gate Keeper Clown to a young Cross Guard soldier named Alan, manipulating him into summoning Ginta's father from Earth to fight Phantom.
Every single atrocity she committed was meticulously designed to deepen the connection between the two worlds, all so she could eventually tear a permanent rift in space, conquer both dimensions, and rule them absolutely.
Unfortunately for her, the summoned Earthling grew far too strong, far too quickly. In the climax of the First War Game, Ginta's father fought Phantom to a standstill, forcing a mutually destructive draw. Her grand plan had to be shelved for six years, waiting for Phantom to resurrect and initiate the Second War Game.
In a twisted way, Diana hadn't actually changed from the woman Dorothy remembered. She was still a woman seeking absolute peace. But under the Orb's corruption, her definition of peace had metastasized from simply "protecting Caldia" into "conquering and unifying the multiverse through absolute totalitarian rule."
Suyan didn't actually hate women with ambition like hers.
However, expecting him to hand Snow White over so Diana could sacrifice the girl to achieve those goals was a complete fantasy.
"Insolent wretch! Know your place!!"
Diana's facade of gentle royalty shattered instantly, replaced by icy, murderous fury. "What gives you the audacity to harbor such vile thoughts toward me? Is it because you lucked into the rank of Zodiac Knight?"
"I will give you one final opportunity. Put Snow White down, leave this room, and I will pretend you never spoke those words. You may retain your rank as a Knight, and I will still grant you a reward for returning her."
At her threat, Snow White began to tremble on Suyan's back. Consumed by terror, she wrapped her arms tighter around his neck, utterly terrified that he would actually drop her and walk away.
Feeling her sheer panic, Suyan took his hand off her thigh and reached back, gently patting her spine, soothing the terrified little animal clinging to him.
"A tempting offer, truly," Suyan said, shaking his head at Diana with a mock sigh. "But I'm afraid I must decline. You see, I promised Snow White I would protect her."
"Then you have chosen death," Diana stated coldly.
A faint light flickered in her hand. A silver scepter topped with dual golden rings materialized into her grasp. This was Diana's signature weapon: the East Wind Scepter, Octavia. It was the sister weapon to Dorothy's Zephyrus Broom.
Seeing the scepter, Suyan's eyes gleamed with interest.
He suddenly remembered that Diana was a peerless master ÄRM crafter. Both her Octavia and the Zephyrus Broom she had gifted Dorothy as a child were forged by her own hands. Even Pinocchio, one of the Thirteen Zodiac Knights, was originally just a simple wooden toy of Dorothy's that Diana had personally modified into a sentient, hyper-lethal ÄRM comparable to Babbo.
Her expertise in magical engineering was staggering. Setting aside her status as Dorothy's older sister, Diana was exactly the kind of top-tier, specialized talent Suyan desperately needed for his 'Paradise Plan'.
Realizing her true value only made him want her more. Besides, based on his extensive experience evaluating women from Greed Island, Suyan was absolutely certain the Queen standing before him was still a virgin.
"Queen's Flash!"
Diana didn't hesitate. She swung her scepter with lethal intent.
Instantly, a violently compressed blade of wind erupted from the staff, sweeping across the entire room.
Just from this single strike, it was blatantly obvious that Diana's combat prowess vastly eclipsed Dorothy's current level. Confined in the underground labyrinth, Dorothy hadn't dared to unleash the Zephyrus Broom like this. Furthermore, as an older native of Caldia who had achieved the rank of Witch long before Dorothy even began her training, Diana's magic reserves were monstrous.
Coupled with the fact that Phantom had spent the last six years dead while Diana continued to grow, it was highly likely that Diana was currently stronger than the strongest Zodiac Knight.
"Ken!"
Facing the lethal wind blade, Suyan chose the most brutally direct method of defense.
Ken was the advanced Nen technique combining Ten and Ren. He first used Ren to force open his aura nodes, generating an explosive amount of life energy, before instantly sealing it around his and Snow White's bodies using Ten, creating an impenetrable, hyper-dense armor of aura.
And so, Diana witnessed the impossible.
Suyan casually reached out and crushed her compressed wind blade with his bare hand.
"Aerial!"
Shocked but unyielding, Diana activated the rings on her scepter, channeling a massive surge of magic.
A devastating, destructive tornado materialized in the center of the room, violently sucking up the furniture and tearing the stone floor apart. With a flick of her wrist, Diana sent the catastrophic twister screaming toward Suyan.
Suyan didn't flinch. Instead, he spoke softly over his shoulder, "Snow White. Now is the time to face the fear in your heart."
"Open your eyes and watch carefully. This is my power! The power that guarantees absolutely no one in this world can ever hurt you!"
Hearing his steady voice, Snow White's racing heart skipped a beat. Trusting him implicitly, she forced her eyes open—only to see a monstrous tornado mere feet away, threatening to tear them to shreds.
Every instinct screamed at her to squeeze her eyes shut again, but Suyan's words echoed in her mind. Forcing her eyes as wide as they would go, she stared down the approaching vortex of death.
"Ko!"
Suyan diverted almost all of the aura maintaining Ken, leaving only the bare minimum required to shield himself and Snow White. The rest of his massive energy reserves flooded instantly into his right fist, concentrating into an impossibly dense, hyper-lethal focal point.
No flashy magic. No complex ÄRM activations. Just a simple, devastating, straightforward punch.
The resulting shockwave of sheer physical force slammed into the tornado, ripping the magical vortex apart at the molecular level.
The residual concussive force of the punch didn't stop there. It blasted straight through the shattered tornado, crashing directly toward Diana.
"What?!"
Diana's pupils shrank to pinpricks.
She had expected him to be heavily injured by Aerial. She had expected him to pull out some legendary, ultra-rare ÄRM to counter it.
What she absolutely never expected was for him to tank the hit physically and shatter her ultimate spell with a literal punch.
When he had fought Garon just moments ago, she had sensed that his physical strength was comparable to the brute's. But given Suyan's slender frame, matching Garon's raw muscle was already an absurd feat. To possess physical power that far exceeded Garon's was simply inconceivable.
By the time Diana's brain processed that Suyan wasn't relying on ÄRMs, it was entirely too late to deploy a defensive artifact.
It was like being in a snowball fight where everyone was strictly throwing snow. Suddenly, Suyan ignored the rules entirely, sprinted across the yard, and punched her right in the jaw. Who wouldn't be caught off guard by that?!
The concussive shockwave slammed into her with the force of a freight train.
In the blink of an eye, the violent air pressure shredded her elegant gown to ribbons, exposing massive expanses of her snow-white, flawless skin.
"Nngh!"
A pained groan escaped Diana's lips as the sheer kinetic force lifted her off her feet and hurled her backward. She slammed violently into the stone wall behind her, the impact so severe the heavy masonry nearly cracked beneath her.
"Amazing!!"
As Diana fell to the floor, the suffocating terror that had gripped Snow White's heart for years shattered completely. Watching the nightmare that had haunted her entire life get swatted away by a single, casual punch, Snow White couldn't help but cry out in pure awe.
Suyan gently set Snow White down on her feet. He walked over to Diana, looking down at the disheveled, half-naked Queen slumped against the wall.
"Are you alright... Diana?" he asked softly.
"Heh... it's been a very long time since anyone called me that," Diana chuckled weakly.
She slowly pushed herself up from the floor, but the agonizing pain shooting through her ribs told her she was in no condition to launch another attack. Still, hearing her real name stirred a faint sense of nostalgia in her heart. Ever since she had left Caldia, she had only ever been addressed as "Queen" or "Your Majesty."
"I lost. What do you want? Do you want my body?"
Even in total defeat, Diana didn't forget her ultimate goal. Completely unfazed by the fact that she was currently baring almost all of her skin to him, she leaned into it, attempting to seduce him with her words.
"You can have me. But you must hand over that little brat Snow White in exchange." She offered him a sultry, tantalizing smirk. "Compared to a little girl who hasn't even finished growing yet... surely a mature woman like me is far more appealing in every single way, don't you think?"
"Di—a—na—!"
Hearing the blatant seduction, Snow White puffed her cheeks out furiously.
Whatever lingering fear she had for the Queen vanished entirely, replaced by burning indignation. She glared daggers at the shameless woman sitting on the floor.
It was bad enough that Dorothy had tried to steal him. Now this Diana woman was doing it too?!
Have you no shame?!
"Haha." Suyan laughed out loud. He reached an arm back, shielding the furious Snow White behind him and silently telling her to calm down.
He then turned back to Diana, dropping a sentence that left the Queen utterly bewildered.
"Come to think of it, I don't believe I properly introduced myself to you, did I?"
"Hm?" Diana blinked, confused. Why would he bring that up now? Still, she nodded gracefully. "I suppose if you intend to claim my body, it is only fair that I know your name."
"My name is Suyan."
A profound, unreadable smirk curved onto Suyan's lips.
"I am your sister's—"
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