Chapter 602: Book 5: Chapter 201: Erica

Book 5: Chapter 201: Erica

The turquoise orb plummeted, transforming into a falling star in an instant.

As the star made contact with the island, rocks melted, the lake evaporated, and trees turned to flying ash. A fiery, dazzling light enveloped the world, reminiscent of an apocalyptic heatwave consuming everything on the island.

The people at the heart of the island had no time to react before they were transformed into white light and eliminated from the round.

Erica, first to contact the star, clung to the belief that Lilith would save her. But Lilith had deceived her. In her disbelief, Erica was eliminated from the round.

Lilith landed on the lake’s shore, with a rare look of fatigue on her delicate face.

The magic power within her had been drained completely. In this small world where she couldn’t absorb external magic power to replenish it, even she would feel exhausted despite her dragon’s constitution.

“All settled,” Lilith mumbled, gazing across the lake. Though thick smoke still shrouded the view, she could make out the reddish rock at the island’s edge, half-melted by the heat, hinting at the hellish conditions at its center.

Lilith doubted even she could remain in such an environment unscathed, let alone the participants at the heart of the island.

“I think none of them survived…” she murmured, prepared to linger near the island just to be safe.

She dragged her body wearily, planning to circle the lake a few times, when she noticed the water nearby gurgling and bubbling.

Her attack was aimed at the island, so the lake had sustained only a minor impact—merely a drop in water level by about ten centimeters, insufficient to boil it entirely.

This was why Lilith remained cautious; it was possible someone had anticipated the danger and sought refuge underwater.

Silently, Lilith waited.

After a moment, the water bubbled again and a figure in a black hood cautiously surfaced.

“That’s…” Lilith hesitated, recognizing him as the founder of the Anti-Princess Alliance, the enigmatic Mr. Card.

It appeared that Mr. Card’s identity was not only mysterious, with him often keeping a low profile, but he also possessed remarkable skills. After all, Lilith had witnessed his arrival on the island.

To react so swiftly and devise the only successful strategy for survival set him leagues apart from the others. Lilith floated to his side and praised genuinely, “You’re pretty good.”

Mr. Card visibly shivered at the unexpected voice, and when he turned to face Lilith, his fear quickly morphed into anger.

“Lilith, you b̲a̲s̲t̲a̲r̲d̲! Big liar!”

“Huh?” Lilith was momentarily puzzled by Mr. Card’s sudden outburst but then chuckled in realization. “Oh, it’s you, Erica.”

“Eeep!” Though their expression was hidden under the hood, Mr. Card uttered a surprised exclamation, “What are you… talking about? I’m Mr. Card, not Erica.”

“There’s no point in lying now,” Lilith gently chided.

“After all, to me, Erica is a friend, but Mr. Card is an enemy.”

“…Ugh.” Mr. Card—no, Erica—hung her head dejectedly, muttering about how her disguise should have been foolproof.

“Actually, I have only suspected that you weren’t as simple as you appeared. After all, anyone who dares to take a s̲h̲i̲t̲ in the wilderness definitely isn’t some delicate girl. During that time, you had plenty of time to do other things, like passing on information,” Lilith explained with a smile.

“What, can’t people use the bathroom?” Erica retorted defensively.

“Using the bathroom is fine, but usually, people use specialized magic props, right? They’re available in all kinds of models and aren’t expensive. I can’t believe you wouldn’t know about them.”

“What if I’m too poor to afford it?”

Hearing the defiant tone in Erica’s voice, Lilith shook her head in resignation and said, “At first, I didn’t really suspect you because a Mr. Card did appear later. But right before I attacked, I realized something about you was off.”

“Nonsense, how did I give anything away?”

Lilith paused and pointed out, “Just now, half of the participants came to this island, and you’ve been using your name openly. But somehow, none of your companions from the last round came.”

“I-It’s just… luck.”

“Such luck seems too good to be true.”

“Ugh….”

“Hehe.”

Observing Erica’s frustrated expression, Lilith couldn’t help but laugh.

She suddenly said, “Actually, this guess only proves something isn’t right. It’s impossible to deduce you’re Mr. Card—aside from the name ‘Card’ that sounds close to the last syllable of your name, there’s no resemblance. Moreover, you appeared simultaneously, so no one would suspect you’re the same person.”

“Huh? Then why?” Erica looked up, surprised.

“It was just a random shot in the dark—couldn’t hurt, anyway,” Lilith shrugged.

Erica froze, then, looking at Lilith’s grin, she splashed the water and shouted, “Liar! Liar! You big liar! I’ll never trust you again!”

Her vigorous motion caused the hood to fall back, revealing a face similar to Erica’s—about seventy to eighty percent likeness—but with notable differences in the details.

“Huh? You’re actually not in a doll’s body?” Lilith exclaimed in surprise.

She had assumed Erica used some magic manipulation involving dolls, but what stood before her now was unmistakably a living human body. The flush on her cheeks from the heat clearly indicated she was alive, not a doll.

“What doll? This is my elder sister’s body,” Erica said, her voice low.

She lowered her head and continued, “Since childhood, my soul power has been stronger than most, allowing me to inhabit other objects for manipulation.”

“Another innate ability, huh?” Lilith nodded but was still puzzled. “Innate abilities are supposed to be one in a billion—how have I encountered two in such a short time?”

“Why use your sister’s body though?” Lilith continued asking.

“It’s still better than using a doll. She suffered a severe soul-level injury and has been in a coma for a year now.”