The Tale of Hero Alice’s Social Death

The Purification Blade that had vaporized a large chunk of the Gryffin Forest had failed to instantly destroy Grant.
It should be known that Grant was still in a soul state.
Moreover, his soul hadn't even fully recovered its strength.
Yet, he still managed to withstand Purification Blade's power.
Alice couldn't help but admit that the former Demon King was indeed powerful.
Even his soul was a lot stronger than the Boria Wolf King.

Moreover, apart from Grant, the castle remained intact as well.
This was probably because two generations of Demon Kings had strengthened Demon King City, and these Demon Kings had strengthened the city with the knowledge that Heroes and Demon Kings were existences capable of freely launching taboos.

“Bastard! My resurrection is just in front of me! How can I die in such a place?!”

Grant could sense that his soul was quickly dissipating.
If the burning of his soul could be seen with the naked eye, then his soul would be frantically releasing smoke right now.

Fortunately, although Purification Blade was a taboo-level spell, it had its limits.
It couldn't remain in effect forever.
Amidst Grant's desperate struggles, Purification Blade's light gradually dimmed.
Just when Grant's soul was on the brink of disappearing, the light vanished completely, and the castle's interior reverted to its original state.

“Hah… Hah… I'm not dead… I'm still alive…”

Grant repeatedly gasped for air.
Although his soul didn't need to breathe, the exhaustion and overdrawn feeling he experienced made him instinctively pant.
Purification Blade's power was much stronger than he expected.
The damage the magic did to his soul was especially severe.
When he looked down at his body now, he found that his body had become transparent and blurry again.

Frowning, Grant thought to himself, Dammit, I spent too much power resisting that spell… No matter.
I can still interfere with reality, at the very least.
I won't have to rest inside that damned crystal for another few centuries.

After inspecting his body's condition, Grant looked up and glared at Alice, only to be stunned by what he saw.
Before he realized it, Alice had already freed herself from his gravity magic.
Now, not only had she stood up already, but she had also picked up the pouch holding unknown objects from the ground.

“Yo, you survived?”

Alice waved at Grant, an evil smile appearing on her face as she looked at the former Demon King's stunned expression.

“You… How did you…”

Grant subconsciously gulped.
Then, realizing the crux of the problem, he hurriedly looked around the hall and found that Alice's Purification Blade had indeed destroyed the magic crystals sealing Alice's movements.

Although Demon King City had indeed been strengthened to a point where it could withstand taboos, the same could not be said for the magic crystals Grant had used as mediums.
If even a Milu Rabbit could shatter the magic crystals with its forehead, how could Purification Blade's power not destroy them?

“I initially expected that move to be sufficient to deal with a Demon King.
It seems I am still too young.
I didn't think that even a former Demon King's soul can withstand a Purification Blade.
I'll have to stock up on a few more weapons in the future.”

Alice sighed.
Then, under Grant's horrified gaze, she slowly reached into her pouch with her right hand and grabbed a pair of black underwear?

[Weapon: Soft Black Striped Underwear]

[Quality: Artifact]

[Effect: Strength +5000, Constitution +5000, Speed +5000, Mind +5000, Control +5000, Mana +5000]

[Additional Effect:

Mana Cancellation (Passive Skill.
You will not be affected by offensive magic);

Mental Abnormality (Passive Skill.
You will not be affected by mind magic);

Blood Abyss (Active Skill.
Upon use, releases a sea of mana that can devour the target's soul.)]

As soon as Alice retrieved the black panties from the pouch, black mist immediately started leaking out of her right hand.
Frightening mana also radiated from Alice's body, causing Grant to shudder.
The mana Alice currently radiated already rivaled what he possessed when he was still at his peak and possessed the Demon King's Power.
Moreover…

“What are you?! This power… No, you're neither the Demon King nor the Hero!!!”

Grant's mind was in a mess.
No matter how hard he racked his mind, he couldn't discern Alice's identity.
The move Alice had previously used was a taboo that only the Hero should be capable of using.
Yet, as soon as Alice had finished using Purification Blade, she now started radiating something that resembled the Demon King's Power.

However, regardless of whether Alice was the Hero or the Demon King, there was one thing that Grant had figured out at the very least, and that was…

“I see… So your power comes from underwear?”

At this time, Grant finally understood why Alice had previously reached into her skirt.
He also understood why she would reach into Heris's skirt immediately afterward.
It turned out that only when she was holding onto panties could she exhibit power rivaling Heroes and Demon Kings who were at their peak.

Unfortunately, although Grant had figured out the source of Alice's power, this revelation only created more question marks in his mind.

“Congratulations, you hit the mark.
You can pass with a peace of mind now,” Alice kindly comforted Grant's soul.
Then, she activated the black panties' skill.

It couldn't be helped.
Although Alice housed immense mana in her body, she hadn't learned any spells yet.
Her current situation was akin to owning a warehouse of ammunition but not having any guns to use this ammunition.
Hence, she had no choice but to utilize the skill that came with the panties.

Instantly, the black striped panties flew out of Alice's hand and transformed into blood-red mana that rained down on Grant's soul like a waterfall.
Grant had already been severely weakened by Purification Blade previously, so he couldn't put up any resistance against Alice's Blood Abyss.
He could only watch as the blood-red mana devoured his soul.

“Phew.
That should do it.”

Alice could finally breathe out a sigh of relief.

Apart from destroying Grant's soul, the blood-red mana had also cracked the walls that were previously impervious to Purification Blade's mana.
It would seem that even a building strengthened by two Demon Kings was incapable of enduring the attacks of two consecutive taboos.

Fortunately, the power of both taboos was perfectly isolated to Alice's front.
Everything behind Alice did not suffer any damage from the powerful magic.
Hence, the unconscious Milu Rabbit and Heris did not become collateral damage.

“You've made a huge contribution this time, Milu Rabbit.” Without waiting for the blood-red mana to dissipate, Alice turned around and approached the Milu Rabbit.
Then, picking it up and scratching its chin, Alice continued, “Speaking of which, it'd be inappropriate to keep calling you Milu Rabbit.
How about giving you a name?”

After pondering for a moment, names such as “Pekora” and “Amiya” appeared in Alice's mind.
However, she eventually decided not to rush in naming the Milu Rabbit.
Instead, she felt that it'd be better to take care of more crucial matters right now.

“A radioactive crystal, huh? So long as I destroy this thing, I think everyone should believe that a new Demon King is born.”

After placing the unconscious Milu Rabbit beside Heris, Alice approached the black crystal situated in the center of the hall.
Despite having endured the power of Purification Blade and Blood Abyss, the crystal remained intact.
Hence, Alice could only hope that her right hand could work its magic like it did on the Hero's Sword.