Saintess? Not Anymore! I'd Rather be a Destroyer-Chapter 297 - 234: one hour

"Also, why is she writing so furiously?" Aurianna wondered, her gaze fixed on Shuwi who was scribbling furiously in her book.

"Don’t mind her; she’s a weird one," Christopher replied, dismissing her with a wave of his hand.

"Just so you know, I’m a writer. I have to write," Shuwi huffed, her pen still moving across the page.

"What? You’re a writer?!" Christopher exclaimed, his eyes widening in surprise.

"What’s with the dumb reaction, Christopher?" Shuwi asked, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Well, you don’t exactly seem like someone who would be an author," Christopher admitted, scratching his head. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"Well, I need something to pay the bills. One day, I’ll be a famous author!" Shuwi declared, her voice filled with determination.

"Whatever," Elena muttered, rolling her eyes.

"You guys are so mean!" Shuwi pouted.

"Well, I better go," Aurianna announced, stepping into the center of the magic circle, followed by Zagan, Avriel, Jade, Jugi, and Hadina.

"Yeah, we’ll definitely see each other again!" Peter called out, waving goodbye before they all jumped to the side of the room to avoid the magic circle.

"You better attend the Mystical Academy!" Batholem shouted after them.

"I will!" Aurianna yelled back

Once the magic circle glowed, Claw turned to Aurianna. "So, where do you want to go?" he asked, standing before the glowing map.

"Shinia Highland," Aurianna declared. And Claw swiped his finger across the map, and in an instant, Aurianna and her companions were enveloped in a light and disappeared.

"You have a lot of friends, Aurianna," Jugi chuckled, as they were being flung around in a warp-like space.

"They’re just a necessity," Aurianna replied, her voice cold. "If they betray me in the slightest, I will kill them."

After what felt like a few minutes, the space began to shrink down, and they appeared in an unfamiliar room, but it was similar to the teleportation room back in Nervon city.

A human woman, dressed in a simple uniform, approached them.

"Welcome to the Shinia Highland," she greeted them politely. "Please pay a fee of one gold coin before entering our country. And may I see some form of identification?"

Jugi, without a word, handed the woman a gold coin.

"Here are our identifications," he stated, picking out a few cards from his pocket and handing them to the woman.

Reading through the card, the woman’s face widened in shock. She immediately handed them back, "Wow, my apologies, please. You’re free to enter, no fees charged. Here’s your coin back!" she stated frantically, handing Jugi back his gold coin.

"Please follow me out of the tower," she requested nervously, and they all followed her.

"What did you show her?" Aurianna wondered curiously.

"Well, Peter made these cards for us, and even one for you. And identification for highly recognized guards of the Nervon city," Jugi stated, handing Aurianna her card. She simply examined it for a short while before storing it in her space.

"My my, that’s good," Aurianna chuckled.

"Well, what would you like to do now, master?" Hadina asked eagerly as they were finally out of the tower.

"Well, we’re in the Shinia Highland, let’s roam around for a bit. Because I don’t plan to stay here for a full day," Aurianna said coldly before taking a veil out of her space to cover her face.

"Hi, we’re new travelers in the Shinia Highland, and we’re wondering if there’s any rules we must follow or news around we must be aware of?" Aurianna asked as she walked towards an owner of a food stall and curtsied politely.

"Rules are like any other country, don’t cause trouble. But news, well, Shinia and Sandeph have been at odds with each other for a while, so many outsiders are stared at scornfully, so do be careful," the man warned.

"Oh, why’s that?" Aurianna asked, hoping to know more. Hearing her voice, the man seemed eager to continue speaking.

"It’s a long story, but the fourth prince of the Shinia Highland died a few months back, and our King blames it on the Sandeph King since he attacked the Sandeph king’s daughter," the man whispered, and Aurianna nodded.

"I see that’s quite interesting," Aurianna remarked, her eyes scanning the bustling crowd.

"Yeah, we’re on the brink of war, but I hope we can avoid that at all costs," he sighed, his attention still focused on preparing his food.

"That’s good. No one deserves to die in a war just because of this," Aurianna said, her voice laced with feigned concern. She then turned and walked away, joining the others.

"Why are you so interested in this country?" Hadina asked calmly, her gaze following her.

"I want to destroy it," Aurianna replied, her voice cold.

"Isn’t that a bit extreme?" Jugi gasped, taken aback by her declaration.

"I doubt it. I won’t tolerate staying in a country where I was nearly sold into slavery by their king. But perhaps I should thank him, as it’s because of him that I’ve grown stronger," Aurianna giggled.

"So, what’s the plan?" Jade asked, his interest piqued.

"I’m going to declare war on this country. Us against the entire Highland, and I have my knights to back me up!" Aurianna declared, a wide grin spreading across her face.

"Ahahahahaha, you’re hilarious! When do we start?" Jugi asked, unable to contain his laughter.

"Well, I heard some cheering from that direction, and if I’m right, they’re probably having some sort of event. So, why don’t we go?" Aurianna suggested with a smirk.

"Alright," they agreed, and the trio set off towards the source of the noise.

______

"Oh, they’re totes having an event," Avriel chuckled, gazing at the massive building and the cheers that echoed from within.

"Can I ask what kind of event this is?" Aurianna inquired, approaching a guard stationed near the entrance. The guard, overwhelmed by the crowd, hesitated looking at people rushing in but seeing a few of his colleagues handling the situation he calmed down before answering.

"Well, it’s a gladiator event held in the Shinia Highland, and today we’ve been blessed with the presence of the First Prince Marcus! We mostly hold this event to spite Sandeph, since they have the same event today," the guard chuckled.

"Wow, how do I get tickets or become a fighter?" Aurianna asked, her interest piqued.

"Well, it’s free to enter, and if you win against others, you get paid. But I doubt a delicate-looking lady like yourself..." he trailed off, eyeing Aurianna with a dismissive yet lecherous look.

"Please watch your tongue, and how do I join the fighters?" she demanded, her tone cold, causing the man to flinch.

"Just enter through that room when the next match is ready. You’ll be called," he stammered, nervously pointing to a nearby door. Aurianna nodded and walked inside, leaving the others outside.

"Our fighter remains undefeated. Is there anyone daring enough to challenge them?" the host announced, standing near the prince who was seated in a high position. A burly man, basking in the crowd’s cheers, waved his weapon triumphantly. A lifeless body was being dragged away by a few guards.

Suddenly, Aurianna emerged from the room. "Oh, a beautiful young lady has just stepped out. Is she our new fighter? Her face is covered, but you can definitely tell she’s a beauty!" the host exclaimed.

"I don’t go easy on women. If something unexpected happens, don’t blame me, blame yourself," the gladiator chuckled, a sinister grin spreading across his face.

"Cut off your head for me," Aurianna said, her voice devoid of emotion.

"Ahaha, does she really think he’d do that?" someone in the crowd scoffed, followed by a wave of laughter.

However, their laughter soon turned to shock as the gladiator, with a dazed expression, raised his sword to his neck and swiftly decapitated himself.

"What? He sliced off his own head!" gasps and whispers erupted from the crowd as they stared at Aurianna in disbelief.

"What the hell!" someone yelled, their voice filled with disbelief.

"I wonder what her power is," another person speculated, their eyes wide with curiosity.

"Well, my main purpose of coming here wasn’t for this dumb competition anyway," Aurianna said, removing her veil with a smirk. "I am the third daughter of Queen Amber Vanluad and Girsal Vanluad, Aurianna Vanluad, and I hereby declare war on the entire Shinia Highland in one hour!" she declared, her voice echoing through the stadium.

"This is preposterous!" Marcus yelled, rising from his seat and glaring at Aurianna.

"My, my, does it look like I’m joking?" Aurianna asked coldly, releasing a powerful aura that filled the stadium with a suffocating pressure. People gasped, struggling to breathe, and some even collapsed. Marcus, his legs trembling, was filled with fear.

’Aurianna? Isn’t she the one my father got rid of two years ago? How is she here?’ he wondered nervously.

"An angel of war!" someone declared, pointing towards a magnificent figure. A man with a halo and dark red wings appeared, his presence commanding awe and respect.

[Are you sure of this?] the angel asked.

"Yes, I am. In one hour, I shall wage war against the Shinia Highland, risking the lives of everyone in my country. If I lose, Sandeph is yours. If I win, the entire Shinia country will be eliminated. Nothing will be spared," Aurianna declared arrogantly, her eyes fixed on Marcus.

"What the hell! How dare you!" Marcus yelled, his anger boiling over. "You’ll regret this arrogance!"

"Oh, I won’t. And as a royal, I have the authority to declare war! And in the war rules there’s never a specific time to decide on when to fight. So I chose 1 hour." Aurianna giggled.

[Oh, got any helpers?] the angel asked, a mischievous glint in his eye