Chapter 1962: Sifrona's Last Words?
Chapter 1962: Sifrona's Last Words?
Sifrona lay on the broken terrace, her body bleeding, her vision blurred.
But her mind was sharp.
She could see Shir walking toward her step by step, his golden trident in hand and blood dripping from his wounds.
His chest rose and fell with each breath, but there was no sign of weakness in his steps. No sign of pain in his eyes. Only pride. Power. And mockery.
Sifrona gritted her teeth as her eyes locked onto him.
'Impossible…' she thought. 'Even for someone like him, this is too fast.'
She had seen the battle from a distance. She had watched as Shir fought and forced the four Demon Earls to retreat.
Furfur, Malthus, Raum, and Bifrons weren't weaklings. They were selected as generals for this battle by Eren. Together, they had held the line against some of the strongest foes.
Even if Shir had the advantage, the fight shouldn't have ended so soon.
Her crimson eyes flickered with confusion and anger.
'I heard Shir received a backlash just yesterday. He was injured—body and soul. He shouldn't have recovered this quickly. He shouldn't have had this much power.'
And yet… here he was.
Still breathing. Still standing. Still strong.
In fact, he wasn't just strong—he was overpowering. Too overpowering.
Sifrona's sharp mind caught the clues. Shir's aura was unstable, yet somehow, his mana flowed faster and stronger than before.
His body was regenerating faster than it should. And there was something strange about the Skills he used in the sky. The divine energy… the precision… the force.
Those were not the effects of regular Skills or normal Skill execution.
'He used it,' she realized, her heart sinking.
'He's burning through high-level resources. Top-tier treasures from Raashim Temple. Maybe even divine relics. That's the only way he could push his body like this.
My liege, he… he might not be a match for him tonight.'
She gritted her teeth harder, veins bulging on her neck.
Sifrona's guess was spot on. After all, Shir was God Raashim's avatar. He could access Menaka's Mesh in a manner no ordinary being could by paying certain Origin Force Points.
Just like Eren, he was also a demigod. As such, he also had access to some of the privileged stuff available in the Mesh.
He had used divine contributions and faith points to activate Skills meant only for demigods like him. Because of his active perks, even though his original Ranking Status was that of someone in the late-stage S-Rank, his actual might had surpassed the bounds of the Sage rank.
In fact, a credit needed to be given to Demon Earls for managing to injure Shir while he was at his peak condition. If not for Shir's homeground advantage that had also stacked over his privileged powers, the four Demon Earls wouldn't have been defeated in such a shameful manner.
Sifrona's body trembled with fury. They couldn't win like this. Not without Eren himself taking the field.
Shir finally stood over her. His shadow fell on her body, and his smile deepened.
"Well well… the little bird still has some fire in her eyes."
He raised his foot and placed it on her stomach.
Sifrona's eyes widened.
"Ughh!"
A loud cry of pain escaped her lips as Shir pressed down hard. Her back arched, and the ceiling beneath her cracked under the pressure. Her body screamed in protest, already injured and broken.
Then, suddenly, the pressure stopped.
Well—not fully. Shir kept his foot on her, but he lightened the force just enough to keep her pinned without killing her.
He wanted her alive to hear him speak.
"You guys are quite pathetic, don't you think?" he said, his voice calm but filled with venom. His gaze locked onto hers, cold and cruel. "The mighty demon army… Four great Earls… And what now? All of you scattered like bugs in the wind."
Sifrona tried to move, but her limbs refused to listen. Her beautiful face, now bruised and bloodied, twitched in fury and shame.
Shir looked up for a second, surveying the battlefield. The sounds of clashing metal, roars, and explosions echoed in the background. Soldiers from both sides were still fighting. Still dying. The deaths of the pawns didn't matter to him anyway.
Then Shir's eyes came back to hers.
"My Raashim Temple and your master… Eren was his name?… we… we had no enmity."
His voice dropped, calm and icy.
"We were just minding our own business. But your little master—he ruined the seal-strengthening ritual. He killed my people. Brought chaos to my doorstep."
His eyes narrowed. His foot pressed a bit harder again, making Sifrona groan in pain.
"But that's not even his biggest crime," Shir said, his voice laced with hatred. "You want to know what his true sin is?"
He leaned closer.
"He challenged my authority. God Raashim's authority."
Sifrona's breathing grew heavier. She could feel his killing intent. Cold and suffocating. Although she was a very powerful demon beast with various bloodline abilities, she felt suppressed after being exposed to Shir's aura.
It was as if she was plunged into deep sea that had robbed her of her vision and hearing, making her get frightened by her own heartbeats.
Shir's smile broadened as he watched Sifrona's struggles, taking pure joy in it. With a smirk plastered on his face, he continued.
"That brat's biggest sin is… He dared to question the power of a real god. A true Immortal. He thinks that just because he's a demigod, he can walk over everyone. Does he think he is special?"
Shir's trident crackled with energy as he clenched it tightly. Golden sparks danced around its blade.
A dark look came over Shir's face. His eyes weren't just angry—they were murderous.
"He's wrong," he said. "That bastard… his father must not have taught him how the world works."
A cruel smirk stretched across Shir's lips.
"No matter. I'll play the role of his father… and teach him a lesson he'll never forget."
His aura exploded around him once again. The rooftop cracked further.
Lightning danced in the sky at the same time. It seemed Shir's elemental mastery over water was also affecting the surroundings.
Sifrona could barely breathe under the pressure, but her eyes didn't waver. Even in pain, even when helpless, her hatred only grew stronger.
And deep inside, she prayed.
'My liege… where… where are you? Are… are you safe? This raid seems like a failure. I… we all are sorry for not being strong enough… you… you should retreat.'
Sifrona prayed for Eren's safety from the depths of her demonic heart.
Back in the Shadowed Grove, she had lived quietly, watching the skies from her dark perch, waiting for something—someone—to give her purpose.
When Eren called upon her, along with the rest of her demonic kin, it was like someone had ripped open the dark cage she didn't know she was trapped in.
For the first time, she felt free. For the first time, she felt seen. Even though she was a phoenix even before meeting Eren, it was the first time she really felt like having the freedom to scorch the skies.
Sifrona had bigger dreams than just being another demon beast in a forgotten part of the world. She wanted to rise, to prove herself, to earn her place in the demonic hierarchy—not by legacy or currying favors with the Demon Earls, but by strength and ambition.
Eren had given her that chance.
She followed him not because he was kind or merciful—he was neither. But because he was real. Cruel when he needed to be. Cold when the situation demanded it.
His eyes didn't waver. His decisions were never clouded by emotion. He walked the path of a true ruler. And Sifrona, with her infernal blood boiling in her veins, found that irresistible.
But now… it seemed this would be the end of her journey.
Shir wasn't going to spare her. The concept of a prisoner of war didn't exist in his world. Even if it did, it wasn't meant for enemies like Eren's army.
The way Shir looked at her—it was the look of a man who didn't intend to let her breathe for long.
Sifrona's breath was shallow, but her thoughts were sharp.
Eren wouldn't come.
He wouldn't risk it. Not when the odds were stacked this high. He wouldn't gamble his life—or the bigger plan—for one battle.
That was who he was.
And that… that was exactly why she had fallen for him.
A cruel, pragmatic, heartless Young Demon Emperor.
He didn't need to like her. He didn't need to save her. Just following him, witnessing the rise of his empire, had been enough.
But now… she wouldn't even get to see that.
The pain in her body was unbearable, but a strange calm washed over her. Her heart stopped racing. Her breathing slowed. Her lips curled into a vicious smile.
She looked up at Shir, who was standing over her, mocking her with his presence.
And then, with blood dripping from her lips, she spoke:
"I… I am aware that I'll die here. But you… you will never be able to sleep peacefully after tonight."