Areishia took a deep breath, her eyes sparkling brilliantly. Her dazzling long hair swayed slightly with the fluctuations of divine might.
The battle continued.
The Demon Slayer Holy Sword became even more radiant, and Areishia's cold voice rang out: "—Transform into a blade of steel here, grant me divine power."
A silver sheen enveloped Areishia, and upon closer inspection, her right arm was already wrapped in silvery metal.
In that instant, both Areishia's speed and strength increased, and she no longer felt constrained when facing Solomon.
Having been unable to take down the small human before him for a long time, Solomon's movements grew increasingly frantic.
In the end, he resorted to directly swinging with brute force. The pitch-black knight's sword clashed with the silvery steel sword, but this time, Areishia did not retreat; she matched Solomon blow for blow.
This was the first time Solomon could not suppress his opponent in a direct confrontation. Realizing something was amiss, he became even more agitated, and his attacks grew fiercer.
Roa watched Solomon swing his longsword like a beast, frowning inwardly.
To be honest, if the Demon King was just like this, it would be quite disappointing.
Like a beast, with no semblance of technique, he was merely venting his power. Such a guy was better described as a mad beast than a Demon King.
His crimson eyes reflected the surrounding scene, and the aura of the longsword grew increasingly oppressive, the violent energy washing over everything around.
If it were an ordinary spirit mage, just feeling this might would likely cause them to tremble in fear.
Areishia's expression remained cold; the might had little effect on her.
Solomon raised his right hand high, wielding the black longsword. Under the enhancement of divine might, it manifested as a massive demonic sword, crashing down towards Areishia's position.
This time, Areishia did not attempt to take it head-on. She waited for the right moment, sidestepped, and her figure became a blur as she swung the holy sword, aiming for Solomon's neck.
Roa had no particular thoughts about Areishia dodging Solomon's big move.
Such a move was akin to a child charging at an enemy with a fruit knife; while being struck down would indeed be fatal, it was quite simple to dodge with a little attention.
The pitch-black knight's longsword struck the ground, obliterating the tiles of what was called the Demon King's palace, along with the soil beneath, sending a terrifying, violent force rippling through the ground, shaking the entire Demon King's castle.
Feeling the power of that strike, Roa couldn't help but click his tongue. Even in his dragon blood and berserk state, he couldn't say he could fully withstand that strike.
If Areishia chose to endure that blow, she would likely lose the ability to fight altogether.
But Areishia easily dodged this attack.
Then, the cold steel sword became a howling wind, directly slashing towards Solomon's neck.
"—Cold-hearted Steel Queen, holy sword that slays demons! —Unleash the brilliance of judgment and annihilate my enemies!"
A dazzling light erupted, and a terrifying aura centered around Areishia, exploding outward like a tornado.
The magnificent steel sword sliced through the Demon King's neck, severing the veins, and black blood splattered onto the ground and the beautiful steel sword.
Solomon, unable to react in time due to the wind-up of his swing, found his neck already severed by the time he realized it, his head falling to the ground.
Yet even with his head cut off, Solomon still retained combat ability. In a fit of rage, the headless Solomon let out a beast-like roar, and his headless torso's right arm became exceptionally grotesque and terrifying, exuding an extremely dangerous aura.
However, Areishia did not give Solomon a chance to explode; reality is not a novel and does not allow time for others to charge up their big moves.
Areishia straightforwardly pierced Solomon's torso with the Demon Slayer Holy Sword. A sacred aura radiated, and brilliant light rose as the dark mist enveloping Solomon was consumed by the holy light.
The scene ended here, but Roa wanted to continue watching.
However, Roa's consciousness had already awakened; he was once again kicked out of the dream.
Opening his eyes, he was greeted by the familiar ceiling, and Roa felt a bit sentimental.
Did Areishia really succeed in killing the Demon King? Remembering the previous scenes, Roa had a bad premonition.
Lost in thought, a soft sensation made Roa feel a bit itchy.
Lifting the blanket, he saw a girl lying naked, wearing only black over-the-knee socks.
Seeing Roa awake, Est leaned closer to him, her cold pupils reflecting Roa's image, and in a cold voice, she said, "Master, you're awake?"
The girl's cold gaze was like a clear spring in summer, the faint chill completely dispelling the last remnants of Roa's drowsiness.
Roa didn't say anything like "Why are you here again?" Looking at Est's indifferent expression, he felt a bit moved.
Est's appearance overlapped with the Est in his dream. Roa reached out to stroke Est's silky silver hair, which cascaded down to her waist, covering the necessary parts.
Est tilted her head. She had anticipated that Roa might feel shy or angry, but she never expected him to be so calm.
Feeling the hand that kept stroking her head, Est cautiously asked, "Master, are you finally planning to make a move on me?"
The hand that was stroking Est's forehead paused slightly, then Roa's outstretched hand turned into a fist and struck Est's head.
As a steel spirit, Est was not afraid of being hurt, so Roa could hit her without worry.
Est covered her head, still speaking in that somewhat cold tone, saying, "That hurts."
Roa sighed, picked up Est, and set her aside. If Ellis had seen Est's position just now, who knows what kind of conflict might have arisen.
Roa got up, picked up the short shirt that was set aside, and put it on, while Est stood by watching him.
Roa found it hard to bear Est's direct gaze. After thinking for a moment, he decided to approach the topic indirectly.
So, Roa began to ask, "I heard that Est, you are the holy sword that defeated the Demon King."
Mentioning the past, Est's cold little face frowned. The girl seemed reluctant to recall past events, but since Roa had asked, she still answered, "Yes."
With just those two words, the girl fell silent again.
Est did not want to say more, and Roa did not press further. After all, he would eventually learn the answer from the dream and see Est's past.
Not wanting to dwell on that question, Roa recalled another key question and curiously asked, "Est, what is your ability?"
Est was silent for a moment before speaking, "Steel Protection."
Then the information about Steel Protection appeared in Roa's mind.
Steel Protection is said to grant the user a body akin to steel, allowing the spirit mage to possess an indestructible physique.
Of course, this is only part of Est's ability.
What makes Est most special is her ability to dispel curses and her top-tier resistance to magic.
As a weapon, she also belongs to the highest category.
Digesting the information in his mind, Roa had now finished putting on all his clothes, looking quite presentable. He smiled at the golden-haired handsome guy in the mirror, feeling very satisfied.
Now, all that was left was to address Est, who seemed a bit down.
Without needing to say much, Roa's earlier questions had likely made Est think of unpleasant things, most likely related to Areishia and Est's past.
Looking around the room, he spotted a black-and-white student uniform, a slightly smaller girls' uniform that belonged to Est.
He picked up the clothes and walked in front of Est, revealing a mischievous smile as he said, "Do you want me to help you get dressed?"
Est snapped out of her memories, looking at the boy before her, and without a hint of embarrassment, she nodded.
Now it was Roa's turn to feel a bit flustered.
He had originally wanted to see her panicked expression to satisfy his mischievous side, but she unexpectedly nodded without any expression.
This left Roa feeling a bit stuck.
However, after thinking about it, treating her like a younger sister seemed quite normal.
Holding the clothes, he approached Est and began to help her get dressed.
Roa's hands were quite skillful, and dressing someone was not particularly difficult.
At first, he felt a bit shy, but as he got used to the feeling, it didn't seem so special anymore.
Est had very nice skin, even better than most of the rich girls in the academy, but that was about it.
Est sat quietly on the bed, enjoying her master's service.
The room was filled with warm light, and everything was bathed in a cozy glow.
Outside the window, the birds chirped sweetly, and faint sounds of conversation and laughter from girls could be heard in the distance.
After finishing dressing Est, Roa held her by the mirror, letting her put on her shoes and stand opposite the mirror.
The mirror was not large, just placed next to the wardrobe. Roa began to attempt to braid Est's hair into pigtails.
The black over-the-knee socks and white short skirt added a touch of cuteness to Est.
Est was undoubtedly adorable; who could resist a cold little loli?
The process of braiding her hair went smoothly.
Roa parted Est's hair down the middle, taking two small sections from each side and tightly braiding them until they reached the vertical position above her ears.
Est had plenty of hair, enough for Roa to play with to his heart's content.
As for the technique of braiding, he had learned it from Roxy.
Roa then took the remaining hair on both sides and braided it close to her ears, gathering the upper and lower sections into one and finishing the remaining braid. Finally, he secured the two sections in opposite directions at the back of her head, resulting in a lovely braided silver-haired loli.
Faced with such a cute little loli, even Roa felt a bit moved.
Unconsciously, he recalled the words of great figures.
Einstein: Controlling lolis is more important than toppling them. Toppling a loli merely satisfies selfish desires physiologically, while controlling a loli requires aesthetics and pursuit, marking true progress in science.
Tolstoy: Loli control is not a pleasure but a heavy existence.
Newton: If I see further than others, it is because I have lolis.
Hugo: Lolis are essential for people. Those who do not control anything will not be happy.
After a moment of reflection, Roa's mood brightened.
He patted Est's head and smiled, pointing at the girl in the mirror, saying, "So, what do you think? Not bad, right?"
Est examined herself in the mirror. She was a cute girl with pigtails, her delicate features resembling a doll's, staring back at her with a cold expression.
Est tilted her head, and the girl in the mirror mirrored her action.
Blinking, Est smiled for the first time. Although her smile was faint, it was incredibly radiant.
The morning sun shone down, melting the accumulated snow of the year, revealing the softness beneath Est's cold exterior.
"Thank you," Est said to Roa, her tone serious. Although her voice remained cold, Roa could sense her sincerity.
"Well, as long as you like it. I was worried you wouldn't," Roa smiled.
"Not at all. The previous master was not as skilled as you."
As the topic turned to the previous master, the atmosphere began to grow a bit heavy.
Fortunately, at that moment, there was a knock on the door, and Roa casually said, "The door's not locked; you can come in."
Ellis walked in.
Glancing at the neatly dressed Est and Roa, Ellis expressed her satisfaction.
"Hmm, this is more like it."
Ellis had no idea that if she had come in a little earlier, she would have witnessed a scene that would have been quite shocking for her.
Two people were called to the living room for dinner. While eating, Ellis noticed Est's braided hair and exclaimed, "Did Est do that?"
Est, munching on the bread on her plate, looked up at Ellis and replied, "It was the master who helped me with it." After a moment's thought, Est added, "The master is mine."
This somewhat disjointed statement left Ellis momentarily stunned and surprised Roa as well.
Once she regained her composure, Ellis's cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she glared at Roa and said fiercely, "What have you been teaching your contract spirit?"
Roa looked at Ellis with a smug expression, patted the silver-haired loli beside him, and his smugness grew even more as he raised an eyebrow at Ellis.