Amelia and Ophelia: The Former Grand Duchess and Saintess.

A few days later, the entire kingdom had gathered at the base of Mt. Requiem, everyone was stationed inside a massive circular tent that was erected by the dwarves, able to seat all of the members from each tribe, segregated into dedicated sections.  In the center of the tent, on a podium was a large device, it was a collection of large iron rings that surrounded a large blue crystal in the center, the crowd soon went into silence as Irly and the rest of Olertin’s entourage entered the tent, all eyes on them. 

“On the device” Irly ordered, with several dwarves and elves surrounding it and muttering an incantation 

“&*&*&*&$#%&^$&*^%$#@$%^&*((&^%$#%@!#$%^&*”

VWWOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNGGGGG

At the end of the incantation, the iron rings began spinning around, electricity being fired off from the rings and being absorbed by the crystal, before channeling it into a small beam that aimed up at a small cone placed on top of the device, revealing a crystal clear image of Ophelia, Olertin and the tribal leaders standing on the path that led up to the Divine Beast. The image being seen from all angles in the tent, a sound then began to fill the room, matching what was being seen on the display, they could also hear the conversations and the events that were going down. 

“So here we are” Olertin said as they were reaching the end of the trail, it still continued for a bit then took a sharp left turn going up, with the path being hidden by the trees and the mountain wall. 

“Tch. let’s just get this over with, I bet you won’t even last a full five minutes” Valantros exclaimed 

“He’s right, with your nonexistent abilities and status, I highly doubt that you will be able to pass this thing” Lowe added with a smug expression as he crossed his arms, with the rest of the tribal leaders except for those who swore allegiance to Ophelia nodding along. 

“Both of you, shut it or else” Mercy threatened as she stood behind the group, earning her looks of disgust from the traitorous tribal leaders. 

“Enough, enough. Ophelia, this is where you go on you own. The tent at the bottom of the mountain has a device that will allow us to watch you, I wish you the best of luck” Olertin said with a weakened smile as he patted her on the shoulder 

“Thank you, Your Highness. And to the rest of you, how about a little wager?” Ophelia said with a confident expression

“Hmm?” Valantros quickly answered an eyebrow raised

“Since you all seem to believe I will lose, let’s have a small bet. If I lose, you can all banish me or kill me, your choice. But if I win, I want you to declare your unwavering support and issue an apology” 

“Bah! Why would we want to do that?!”

“Yeah! That is plainly stupid!” 

Valantros and Lowe quickly answered, their faces filled with disgust and anger at the mere idea of having a wager with someone they did not find worthy or strong at all. 

“I wasn’t asking both of you, I was asking the rest” Ophelia continued, not even glancing at the complaining duo 

“Alright lassie, we take you up on that” the dwarven tribal leader Tirinus answered 

“Good. see you all later” Ophelia smiled as she then turned and began walking up the path, her simple dress and commoner clothes swaying in the wind. 

“You think she will be able to win?” Mercy asked the old king as they walked down the mountain

“I can only trust in her words” he weakly replied, leaning on her to stabilize himself. 

A few minutes later, the group reached the tent and everyone was seated, all eyes on the display.  

………………………………………………………………………………………………

‘Huh. I can detect exactly what angle they are watching me from’ Ophelia thought as she continued up the path, the lingering feeling of being watched still with her, her senses told her exactly where the POV was and it helped that it was a good distance away, acting as a third-person view. 

‘Well. I can’t pull my punches this time around. Amelia is coming soon and I have three months to ramp up everything and overhaul this entire place’ she continued to think as she continued the ascent, looking around and the beautiful trees and flora along the way

‘I think she’ll love coming up here. Granted if I’m not forced to level the place first’ 

As she reached the end of the trail, she noticed that it led up to a large plateau, sensing a large and powerful barrier surrounding it, she took a few steps but noticed that the usual dirt was replaced by marble steps that were embedded into the ground, almost as if they were there centuries ago. 

‘Hmm. interesting’ she thought as she climbed the steps, stopping right before the invisible barrier. 

“Are you prepared?” A feminine voice called out to her from the void

{!} 

[The mighty Goddess Histy…I am honored to hear you] she replied

“Fufufu, it seems that the “Walking Apocalypse” is about to face off against one of my most ancient creations” Histy continued, excitement in her voice

[Do forgive me if I end up killing your creation, although it is not my intention] 

“You needn’t worry dear. If the Divine Beast is slain, it merely returns to me. And I know that your goal is to tame it, so if you happen to smite it, I will simply give it to you afterward. But it may lose its experience it has gained and some abilities it learned from living so long, so do beware” 

[I see. Thank you, and goodbye] 

“Goodluck dear” Histy’s voice then faded back into the void, Ophelia took a  deep breath as she walked forward, the barrier trying its best to hold her back, the invisible form now turning into a dark blue matter as it tried to wrap around Ophelia 

SHATTERR!!!

Before breaking under the pressure, and disappearing from sight. 

“Impressive” one of the tribals voiced as they saw the display, with many agreeing. 

“Huh, she did better than me” Olertin remarked as his eyes widened

Meanwhile, the traitors and those who aligned with them were concerned as they were banking on the barrier preventing her from doing the test in the first place. 

“What now?” Lowe whispered to his cohort 

“We just wait and see. It means nothing if she got past the barrier, she has to beat the damn thing for her to win” Valantros replied, his eyes never leaving the display. 

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Stepping onto the plateau, Ophelia looked around, admiring the view of the vast open fields and the forests that continued south, the beautiful shore and coast to the north, and the sight of the town to the east. 

Her eyes then locked on the one other thing on the plateau, separated from her by a few terraces that acted as steps leading up to it, a giant pitch-black cave that rested on the top. 

“Hmm. looks like that’s where it lives” she mumbled as he began her walk towards the giant cave, 

Smiling as she snapped her fingers, her clothes once again morphing into something else. Her simple skirt and commoner clothes began shifting and hardening as they transformed into a set of pitch black armor, with sloped plates around the arms and legs but had jagged pouldrons and a sharp dangerous-looking torso piece. The plates also had a red glow under one another that added to the menacing look, with the final piece being the helmet that had a collar that fully covered her neck and connected to the sharp and sleek helmet that only had a vision slit. But to Ophelia’s view, she still saw everything as if nothing was obscuring her vision or she had limited thanks to a small slit. 

A red crimson cape finished the outfit, giving her a regal feeling as she walked forward, her steps heavy and leaving an imprint on the ground thanks to the heavy pieces she was wearing. Which to her felt like simple pair of a shirt and some pants. 

‘Hmm. one last thing is missin’ she thought as she continued to walk forward, 

‘Ah! A weapon’ 

BIIIZZZSSHHHHHH! 

Reaching into her item box, she grabbed a longsword that crackled with red lightning as she brandished it, the entire flat side of the sword coated in a deep crimson-red color that caught the lightning and allowed it to dance up and down the blade. The hilt also shared the same scheme as the blade, with deep crimson colors for the guard and the pommel and a pitch-black color for the grip akin to the blade. 

“Ahh…[Judgement Maker] it has been a very long time since I had to use you” Ophelia uttered as she ran her hand along the length of the flat side, her armor absorbing and redirecting the red lighting, 

“!@#$%^&*()(*&^%$#@!@#$%^&^%$#@#$%^&*&^%$#” she chanted, which resulted in purple inscriptions on the blade glowing beautifully, coating her in a dangerous purple aura, sending shivers down the spines of the tribesmen watching her from the tent. 

At that moment, Ophelia saw two notifications pop up in the upper left corner of her vision 

BLOOD SURGE: ACTIVATED

EMPRESS AURA: ACTIVATED

A smile on her face appeared under the helmet as she saw the three pop-ups, but she was awaiting one final notification before continuing. 

WILL OF THE DEFIANT: ACTIVATED

“Perfect” 

Brandishing her weapon one more time, the sky above turned dark as gray clouds began to quickly form and soon the entire continent was engulfed in its dark shroud, making many people all across the continent look up with confusion. While the people in the tent silently shuddered as they now just witnessed something they had never seen before, someone able to bend the weather to her will. 

………………………………………………………………………………………………

“What the hell?” Valantros muttered under his breath as he witnessed the display, a certain fear slowly creeping up his spine. 

“Heh. your traitors. Still believe she was unworthy?” Olertin remarked as he saw the reactions on their faces.

“A mere change in the weather means nothing” Valatros quickly countered, his shock from earlier replaced with stone-cold disgust

“Suite yourself, keep being ignorant. That will do you good” Olertin sarcastically commented as he sank back into his seat, his eyes shifting back to the display

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Back on the plateau, Ophelia clutched her sword tightly as she began walking towards the cave, her steps filled with resolve and confidence as she simply twirled the sword in her hand, the rhythm of the veteran adventurer quickly filling her senses with nostalgia as the grin under her helmet continued to grow 

{!}

After passing the halfway point of the plateau and nearly reaching the first terrace, Ophelia stopped dead in her tracks. An immense pressure was being forced upon her, a pressure that was determined to crush her, a force that was emitting from the cave in front of her. 

‘Hmm. impressive, but I won’t be stopped by such things’ she thought as she continued forward, the immense pressure felt like soft running water by a determined Ophelia. Her steps, undeterred and unwavering.

{Stop right there…mortal}

{Yes. stop right there, or else}

Suddenly, voices rang out throughout the plateau. One was a deep and booming voice while the other was more feminine and high pitched, both of which ordered Ophelia to stop as she reached the first terrace up to that led up to the cave. 

“Oh? So you finally reached out to me” she voiced as she looked up at the dark cave, two pairs of crimson-red eyes staring at her from the darkness.

{You are quite bold to enter our temple mortal}

{Speak your purpose here} 

“I have come to take you as mine. Serve me or die” Ophelia stated, a serious expression on her face as she stared down the pair of eyes

{AHAHAAHAHAHHAHAHA}

{HAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH}

{{Foolish Mortal}} 

{Do you honestly believe someone like you can order us? A personal creation of the Goddess of Creation!?}

{Your arrogance and overconfidence has led you to your doom!} 

“I may be a mortal, but I am no fool. I have not come here to die, I have come here to conquer. If it needs me to bring a Divine Beast such as yourself down to its knees and begging for mercy. I shall do it” 

A moment of silence followed as Ophelia watched the twin pairs of eyes disappear. 

RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!

Then, the entire plateau began to rumble violently, it was so violent that it could be felt from the base of the mountain and even the outskirts of the main town and the nearby tribal villages. 

BOOM!

Following this, the cave exploded outwardly as two heads violently spouted out of it. After shaking off the rubble and dust from its head, Ophelia used her impressive eyesight and the skill <Enhanced Vision> to zoom in and got a good look at what they were like, both heads had long necks and were covered by pristine jet-black scales with the same colored skin underneath said scales. The heads had each a pair of horns a shot forward before arcing up a bit and there was a few sharp teeth resting outside the mouth, the size of each tooth being the same as a Python at her full height and length. 

After the heads were freed, a pair of giant scaly jet-black wings were rising from the rubble and soon the full form of the beast was visible. 

‘Looks like that three-headed dragon from that monster movie, minus the third head and golden color. More sleeker as well’ Ophelia thought as she looked at the full form of the Divine Beast. 

{Behold Mortal! You face us!} 

{The mightiest of the Created! The Scourge of Continents, The Bringer of the End, the Mighty. Spithe!} 

“Pfft. weird name for a mighty beast wouldn’t you say” Ophelia commented with a hint of amusement in her voice

{!}

{How dare you mock our name!} 

{This was given to us by the Goddess herself! You will pay with your life for that slight!} 

“Then come and get me you glorified chicken!” she shouted as she leaped back and raised her sword, the vision slit covered by a red-tinted glass-like material. 

{{YOU!}} 

SSCCCCRRRKKKEEEEEEEE! 

Spithe roared in anger as it stepped forward, its giant feet crushing the terrace steps as it moved, the roar also let out a shockwave that was felt for miles. The intense power uprooted trees and sent things flying in all directions. A testament to its sheer power, a sheer power it was confident had knocked away its opponent. 

{!}

“Is that it? The mighty beast roars once and I am supposed to fear it?” Ophelia remarked as she taunted the beast to attack

{DIE!}

{< EARTH SPLITTER>} 

Another attack quickly followed as the heads roared again, the feminine one shouting a spell of sorts. 

{!}

“HUP!” 

BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!

SWISH! SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!

Jumping from side to side, Ophelia dodged the giant earth spikes that erupted from the ground, each strike following her movements but failing to land a blow, 

{PESKY RAT. JUST DIE ALREADY!} The deeper voice bellowed, 

{YOUR EXISTENCE IS AN AFRONT TO THE GODDESS!} The feminine voice added as they began to flap their wings intending to lift off from the plateau, 

Spithe cackled as its flapping created strong gusts of winds that turned into homing tornados that locked onto Ophelia as she continued to dodge the spikes, 

‘Fuck. I may have overestimated myself here. A few sparring and training sessions can’t really prep me for facing something like this’ she thought as she continued to roll, hop and dodge the earth spikes, swinging her sword down when they got a bit too close for comfort. 

{!}

“FUCK!” 

VWOOOSH! BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!

A small miscalculation on Ophelia’s part allowed her to get caught by one of the tornados, pushing her into a slab of earth before two more pinned her in place. 

“Damn it. Got cocky” she remarked as she noticed her situation, looking around and seeing Spithe circle the plateau flying menacingly as each flap of its wings gave an audible ‘VWOOM” sound. 

{!}

“Oh fuck…” 

Another quick look and she noticed that both heads had small flickers of blue embers that frothed from the mouths, her senses rushing into overdrive as she quickly broke free from the slabs and rested on the edge of the cliff, readying herself for the attack that was to come. 

{{DIE!}}

VWWWWIIIIIIIIIIISHHHHH!

“Shit!” 

Spithe roared as both of its heads fired two bright blue streams of fire that blanketed the entire plateau, the lush green greenery on the paths up to the plateau and even the cliff-hanging flora all quickly turned to ash as they were hit by the flame, the nearby monsters in the area as well began to fleet further southwards as they could feel the presence of the Divine Beast. After letting out its attack, Spithe hovered in place, its eyes scanning the area for any sign of movement, its sight however was filled with nothing but the blue fire burning brightly. 

CRACKLE! CRACKLE! CRACKLE! CRACKLE! WFIIISHHH!

………………………………………………………………………………………………

The sight of the plateau still burning with the bright blue flame sent shock and disbelief down the spines of everyone in the tent, all of those who were in favor of Ophelia felt their hearts sink as the person they supported now looked like she was gone, consumed by the flames from the Divine Beast. 

“It…can’t be” Python remarked as she watched the display

“No…” Erhet whispered under her breath 

“Wha…no…” Yamato mumbled

“Damn it” Olertin cursed under his breath as a disheartened and broken expression filled his face. 

The other side however,

“BWAHAHAHAHHAHA” Valantros roared in laughter as the display showed nothing but the burning plateau, confidence in his voice 

“Is this the best she could do?” he asked in a mocking town as he continued to laugh 

“Your successor performed even worse than you! This was a waste of everyone’s time you old fool!” he added

“Shut it Valantros” Mercy growled as she stepped forward, her eyes narrowing 

“Even you can see that it’s already been decided kinslayer, the false successor is dead. And now with no one to lead us after the old man dies, I propose a change in leadership” Valantros countered as he walked to the center of the tent, making sure not to knock over the device, his gazes aimed at the people of the kingdom. 

“Wait! Look!” one of the kitsunes called out before Valantros could speak 

GASP!

Audible gasps were heard as everyone watched as the blue flames all began to converge on a single point on the plateau and dissipate, 

………………………………………………………………………………………………

{SHE’S STILL ALIVE} Spithe growled as it witnessed the fires converging on the outstretched hand of an undamaged and unharmed Ophelia. 

‘Hoh…had the barrier not been strong enough, I would have been cooked. Right. No more games’ Ophelia thought as the last of the flames disappeared into her hands, 

‘Hmm. using <Absorbtion> on those flames has restored my energy. Time to shake my SSS-Rank shackles off, it’s time for them to see what I truly am’ she continued to think as her eyes met with the hovering beast. 

{TO THINK YOU WOULD SURVIVE OUR <PURIFYING FLAME>} 

{YOU ARE DIFFERENT FROM THE LAST CHALLENGER} 

“Well, unlike him. I am something else entirely” Ophelia replied 

{{AND HOW IS THAT EXACTLY?}} 

“Through this” 

SWWWOOOOSSHHH! BAM!

A sudden and violent purple cloud wrapped around Ophelia before dispelling violently in all directions, the shockwave even forcing Spithe to fly back a few meters. Before they could comprehend anything, however, a notification appeared for the Divine Beast and those in the tent, even the more out-of-range tribes who were not part of the kingdom and the monsters that inhabited those areas received this notification. 

WARNING!:[APOCALYPSE MAKER] TAG HAS BEEN ACTIVATED

WARNING!:[THE UNBOUND] TAG HAS BEEN ACTIVATED

{{WHAT?}}Was the only thing Spithe could utter as they, a Divine Beast, the apex of creation in the world, was given a warning. 

Looking back at their opponent, all they saw was a figure with a dark purple aura shrouding them from view, a unsettling feeling washed over them, something they never had in their entire life. 

{No….no} 

{It…can’t be…} 

SNAP!

RINGRINGRING! RINGRINGRING! 

WRAP!

{!} 

{{WHAT!?}} 

But as Spithe looked on in disbelief, the sound of a snap was heard. Rapidly followed by several dark circles appearing midair and shooting dark chains that wrapped around the entire body and limbs of the beast, immobilizing them in midair. 

FWOOOSH!

{{GAAAAAAGGHHH!}} 

BANG! CRASH!

As they tried to struggle free, the chains whipped them around and slammed them straight down on the plateau, cracking the mountain so hard that the cracks spread to even the base and the nearby forest. Even sending those inside the tent into a small panic as the shock shook them from side to side. Prompting Python and Yamato to tell their people to activate barriers too keep everyone safe, in the town itself some of the guards left behind helped people scramble to cover and put up their own barriers to shield them from any falling debris. 

SNAP! 

Another snap quickly followed and large vines burst forth from the ground, wrapping and inserting themselves into and around the cracks that were formed before constricting to keep everything together in a tight embrace. 

“Pledge yourself to me, or be eradicated from this world” Ophelia ordered as she walked towards the still-restrained beast. 

{{NEVER!}} They defiantly cried as they rose up, Ophelia allowing the chains to break off of them. 

{{DIE!}} They roared as they swung their tail around, hoping to crush her or send her flying with a single swipe. 

SWIPE! SMASH! SWIPE! SMASH! 

{{JUST DIE ALREADY!}} 

Roaring once again in anger, Spithe continued to try and land a blow with its tail, its vision narrowing and allowing its emotions to take control which made its brain no longer think strategically as it only used its tail instead of a combination of attacks. 

‘Right where I want you’ Ophelia thought as she dodged another tail swipe, before bracing herself and using <Dash> to propel herself forward, her sword readied in one hand, stopping right behind the right foot of the beast. 

“HUP!” 

SLASH!

{!}

{{GHHHAAAAAAAGH!}} 

WOB! WOB! WOB! 

Ophelia let out a horizontal slash that cut right through the tough scales and flesh of the foot, sending shards of the scales she cut through as well as chunks of flesh flying away, blood spurting out of the giant gash and her sword crackling with a surge of red energy dancing on the blade. Making Spithe roar in pain as it felt the attack and began to wobble as the pain forced it to continuously shift its footing to stay upright. 

Not wasting another moment, Ophelia once again dashed to the other foot, using the skill <Blood Surge> to hasten her speed and attack rate, 

SLASH! 

{{GHHHAAAAAAAGH!}} 

THUD! THUD! 

Launching another devastating slash, Ophelia once again cut easily through the remaining foot, forcing the beast to get on it’s knees as their feet could no longer sustain the weight of the thing. 

{{DAMN YOU!}} It roared as it launched its tail in a retaliatory strike at it’s aggressor, 

SWING! 

“HUP!” 

SLASH! 

{{GHHHAAAAAAAGH!}} 

THUD! THUD! THUD! CRASHHH!

{{YOU!! DAMN YOU!!}}

As the tail bore down on her, Ophelia leaped up to meet it, charging her blade and just like before, landing a single slash that cut through the whole tail like a hot knife through butter, severing it from the body entirely, making the tail tumble down the mountain side and crash onto the base below. 

“I am offering the choice again. Pledge yourselves to me. Or die” Ophelia raised as she dashed out from under the beast, standing a few feet away and looking up at the now blood-crazed and angry beast. 

{{NEVER! DIE!}} Spithe replied as two giant dragon arms manifested in midair, made of a menacing and dreadful black aura. 

SWIPE! SWIPE! SWIPE!

BAM! BAM! BAM! 

{{GAAAAAH JUST DIE ALREADY!}} 

After manifesting the aura arms, Spithe began to use them to attack the target of their anger, launching swiping and smashing attacks that failed to connect to their target, with each miss making Spithe angrier and angrier as all they saw was the defiant mortal dodging their attacks, her presence taunting them as they were in denial that someone had forced them to use this attack. 

“My turn” Ophelia mumbled as she saw another swiping attack coming, 

“HUP!” 

“<DASH>” 

{{WHAT!}} 

SWIPE

“HUP!” 

“TAKE THIS!”

BOOM!

{{GAAH!}}

“I AIN’T DONE YET!’

BOUNCE! BOUNCE!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

{{GAAAH!}}

Dodging the incoming swipe, Ophelia jumped onto the forearm of the manifested limb, using <Dash> to quickly run across it and jump off of it, much to Spithe’s confusion, before leapfrogging off the other limb still in the air. Propelling her forward and allowing her to land a straight punch on the left head of the beast, shattering scales, flesh, and teeth as it hit, then bouncing off the body and the wings again and again, giving her the needed room to keep jumping and slamming the heads with her fists which continued for a few minutes, 

………………………………………………………………………………………………

“Heh. what was that about the battle already being decided, traitor?” Mercy asked a now very shocked and visibly shaken Valantros as they watched Ophelia repeatedly pummel the Divine Beast. 

Valantros could only remain silent as he looked at Mercy, fear in his eyes as he could not believe what he was seeing. A mere mortal, a human at that, had brought the strongest Divine Beast in the world to its knees and was now pummeling it effortlessly. 

‘If she can do that..then…!’ thinking on his feet, Valantros tried to make it to the exit

SWISH!

“AAAAAGH!” 

But was stopped as Mercy fired spears from her fingertips that impaled his wings and kneecapped him thus making him immobile as he lay on the floor writhing in pain. With Koga and Iga swiftly moved in and raised their weapons to his throat. 

The other tribesmen and their leaders were about to react but then the rest of the kitsunes, lamias, elves, and arachnia surrounded them, their weapons raised. Lowe, sensing the shift of power in the situation coughed and raised a smile as he said

“Your Majesty, I believe that we all made a mistake and-”

“Shut it Lowe, you damned traitor” Olertin cut him off as he stared at him

“You all chose to side with Valantros and his empty promises instead of leaving your faith in me. Sure I may be old but I am still reliable. You betrayed my trust and now you will pay the price for it” 

“Does this mean you will kill us?” The Lizardmen tribal leader spoke up

“No. your lives are in the hands of my successor, so sit back and watch the rest of the show. And pray that you will all be forgiven when she returns”

 

A/N: Hello there! now we come to The Test for Ophelia, I split it into two parts so I hope you enjoy em, thanks once again for enjoying the series so far and I hope you enjoy the next! stay safe and enjoy ursevles!