Reincarnated As The Villainess's Best Friend
Chapter 29: Darkblood

Chapter 29: Darkblood

The large bell rang again, and right on cue, Sasha reappeared in the centre of the arena, hovering on her magic platform.

"Are you ready for the next fight?!" She announced with her usual grin.

The crowd had been significantly quieter since my fight with Baron Borain, but as soon as Sasha returned, they erupted in cheers once again.

I didn’t understand it at first, but Sasha’s voice wasn’t just enhanced. It seemed to have a strange effect that stirred excitement even in the dullest crowd.

"It’s time for you to meet the next participants!"

As usual, the cheers of the crowd slowly died down.

"Our next fighter is... the beautiful princess of House Lillith, and heir to the throne of Viridale... Freya Lillith!"

The audience, which was mainly comprised of Virillian citizens, cheered adorably for their beautiful queen-to-be.

Yes, Freya was beautiful... In that bratty smug kind of way.

As she pompously stepped out into the arena, a blast of fanfare erupted from the nobles’ seating section.

The queen of Viridale had arrived with her full entourage, who were equipped with musical instruments, to cheer on their wonderful princess.

Freya stayed true to the princess act, bowing and waving to her audience, like a noble heroine going off to war in the terrifying Vanderlands.

After a long, excruciating moment, the fanfare finally died down. I sighed in relief, as I wasn’t sure how long my ears could take such noise.

"And her opponent is...." Sasha broke off, as if the writing in the list she held had suddenly vanished. Then for the first time, I saw her frown.

"Lucy... of House Daevalia."

Another round of murmurs erupted in the audience.

"It can’t be..."

"House Daevalia is extinct."

"There are survivors"

"She is one of them."

"The darkblood lives..."

Their words began to irritate me, but as soon as Lucy stepped out into the arena, a sudden hush fell upon the crowd.

Lucy moved with quiet grace, unfazed by the murmurs. She walked to the center of the arena and offered a curtsy in the direction of the nobles’ booth.

I turned to the booth just in time to see a tall elven woman, nod back at Lucy. Judging from her demeanor and unusually heavy clothing, I deduced she was from Erentha, a cold northern region which was home to a race of Snow Elves, currently ruled by House Elowen.

Then, I wondered... How on earth did the elves know Lucy?

The two girls stood facing each other, Lucy’s arms folded, while Freya stood with her right arm akimbo.

"Hope your little boyfriend wished you good luck," Freya sneered. "’Cause you’re going to need it dear."

I bit my tongue. If I had been in that arena, I might have slapped that smug smile off Freya’s face myself.

However, Lucy didn’t flinch. Her cold stare said more than she needed to.

"Alright then..." Sasha announced, hovering above. "Let the fight begin!"

Without wasting a second, Freya raised her right palm at Lucy.

"Nature Affinity: Vine Snare," she yelled.

Almost immediately, tall green vines emerged from the earth, one after another. Each one was covered in a thousand spikes and each one went for Lucy.

Lucy simply stared at the vines as they stretched towards her. There was no fear or panic in her eyes.

Slowly, she whispered a spell.

"Fire Wall."

A ring of searing flame exploded to life all around Lucy. The fire worked like a shield, blocking and eviscerating all vines that came for her.

Noticing this, Freya doubled down on her spell, thereby increasing the size and speed of the vines that emerged from the earth.

Eventually, one of the vines broke through Lucy’s fire wall and coiled tightly around her leg like a snake.

"Got you," Freya said, smiling.

Caught by the vine, Lucy tried to free her leg. For a split moment, her attention shifted away from her opponent, and the fire wall weakened.

That was all Freya needed.

Quickly utilizing the opening, Freya shot a massive vine right at Lucy, which lashed her like a whip, and hurled her straight into the arena wall.

The audience began to applaud. For the first time, I was worried that Lucy might lose this fight.

"Amazing!" Sasha exclaimed above, "Freya slams Lucy straight into the arena wall. Is it over already?"

A cloud of dust hovered over the area where Lucy had crashed, but as the dust settled, she was already back on her feet.

This had the opposite effect on the crowd, and they went silent.

"Ready for another one, darkblood?" Freya smirked, beaming with confidence.

But when I saw the cold smile on Lucy’s face, I knew the fight would not end so well.

The earth began to rumble, shaking the entire arena.

"What’s happening?" Sasha panicked.

Lucy calmly walked toward her opponent. With every step, a thick black smoke curled out from beneath her feet. Once she got to the center of the arena, she unleashed another spell... A dangerous spell.

"Dark Affinity: Verspertilio Invoco."

The rumbling intensified for a moment. Afterwards, all went quiet.

Then, with a loud crack, the ground split wide open and a large black Hellspire rose from the shadows beneath. Its glowing red eyes pierced the dust, and its leathery wings and long claws gave it a fiery bat-like figure.

The audience gasped in unison.

With no time to react, Freya was quickly caught by the large four-legged beast.

"Help me!" she yelled, unable to move as the Hellspire grabbed her by the foot. The beast then turned to Lucy for instructions, and in turn, she gave him one.

"Break," she commanded, her voice as calm as winter.

The Hellspire lifted Freya into the air, then proceeded to shatter her left arm and right leg. Freya let out a loud scream, which echoed across the entire arena like a haunting melody.

My stomach twisted and my heart sank with dread. I hated Freya and I wanted Lucy to win, but this was not how I imagined it.

Everyone else watched in horror, unable to utter a word or intervene.

After it carried out its mission, the Hellspire released its victim, then vanished into thin dust. Freya fell right back to the ground, completely unconscious.

The entire arena stood frozen, appalled by the terrible sight they had just witnessed. Parents held their children closer. The nobles and tutors whispered amongst themselves. Students began to recall old rumours.

"She’s a monster..." someone whispered behind me.

Lucy walked over to Freya’s body, perhaps to confirm if the damage was complete. Then she walked out of the arena, completely unperturbed. There was no remorse or regret on her face.

To be honest, part of me was glad that Lucy had won.

The other part of me was terribly scared.

No matter how I tried, I couldn’t shake the feeling that letting her live... might have been a big mistake.