Reincarnated as the Villainess's Unlucky Bodyguard

Chapter 172 The Power Beneath Her Skin

Liria stood in the heart of the abyss, feeling the pulse of power that now thrummed beneath her skin like a second heartbeat.

The remnants had dispersed, fading into the ever-shifting shadows of this realm, awaiting their Sovereign's next command. The Dark Sovereign herself remained on her throne, watching, golden eyes alight with quiet satisfaction.

Liria had done it. She had broken the chains, shattered the last bindings of the celestial seal, and freed the being who had whispered in her thoughts for years.

She should have felt something—fear, hesitation, even the remnants of doubt.

But there was only certainty.

Her body felt weightless yet filled with raw, undeniable strength. The abyss around her did not reject her; it embraced her, recognized her. This was not a place of exile.

It was home.

And then, with a soft chime in the back of her mind, the system stirred.

For the first time in months, it spoke with the same calculated efficiency it once used to mock and reprimand her.

[Status Update: Significant growth detected. Recalculating parameters...]

A pause.

Then, text unfolded before her eyes, sharp and vivid, her personal truth written in numbers.

[Updated Status]

Name: Liria Silverthorn

Race: Abyssal Hybrid (Demon-Abyssal Ascendant)

Level: 75

Experience: 48,900/78,000

Health: 19,800/19,800

Magic: 14,500/14,500

Attributes:

• Strength: 140

• Agility: 135

• Endurance: 128@@@@

• Intelligence: 92

• Magic: 170

Abilities:

• Swordsmanship (Level 10 - Mastered)

• Endurance Training (Level 9)

• Abyssal Dominion (Level 5 - Exclusive Skill)

• Shadowflare Blade (Level 7 - Sovereign's Variant)

• Nightflame Shield (Level 5)

• Hellstorm (Level 6)

• Inferno Burst (Level 7)

• Sovereign's Ember (Level 6 - Awakened)

• Spectral Binding (Level 4)

• Voidstep (Level 5 - Exclusive Skill)

• Abyssal Grasp (Level 4 - Exclusive Skill)

• Dark Requiem (Level 3 - Forbidden Skill)

Liria blinked.

Once.

Twice.

She exhaled slowly, flexing her fingers as the raw numbers settled in her mind.

Level 75.

Her last recorded level had been 30.

Liria grinned, rolling her neck. "Training?"

"Call it... refinement," the Dark Sovereign said, tilting her head, her smile full of sharp amusement. "Unless you think you've already reached your peak?"

Liria let out a low, breathy laugh. "I haven't even started."

The system hummed.

[Engaging Abyssal Adaptation. Environment recognized: Combat Simulation.]

The words barely registered before the Dark Sovereign moved.

No warning. No hesitation.

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Just a blur of crimson and black, and then—impact.

Liria barely had time to react before a shockwave sent her skidding backward. She dug her heels in, black flames bursting from her hands to steady herself.

The Dark Sovereign didn't give her a second to breathe. She was fast—faster than anything Liria had ever faced. Not just speed. She moved like the abyss itself, untethered by the laws of reality.

Liria saw the second strike coming a fraction too late. She twisted, avoiding a direct hit, but the force still caught her side, sending her spiraling.

She landed hard, dust and shadows rising around her.

The Dark Sovereign laughed. "Not bad," she mused. "But not good either."

Liria wiped her mouth, grinning despite herself. "You are enjoying this."

"I've waited centuries for entertainment. Don't disappoint me."

Liria shot forward, her body moving almost on instinct. The abyss answered her call, her movements sharper, her attacks faster.

Sword against fire, abyss against abyss.

The clash sent shockwaves through the void, distorting the space around them. The Dark Sovereign deflected every strike with an ease that bordered on mockery, but Liria could feel it—she was adjusting, adapting.

[Processing combat data... Adjusting technique synchronization...]

Liria struck again, faster this time. A feint, a shift in weight, a calculated spin. Her blade sang as it met resistance—not her opponent's hand, but her conjured blade of abyssal fire.

The Dark Sovereign's golden eyes glowed. "Ah."

Liria smirked. "Didn't expect that?"

A low chuckle. "Oh, you really are mine."

Liria felt it too—the way her power naturally fit here, the way the abyss didn't reject her, the way her instincts had sharpened to match her opponent's tempo.

She wasn't just training.

She was claiming something.

Her rightful place.

The battle raged on, and Liria had never felt more alive.

Liria exhaled sharply, rolling her shoulders as the heat of battle coursed through her veins. Every strike, every step, every flicker of abyssal energy around her felt like a second skin—natural, effortless.

The Dark Sovereign smirked, golden eyes flashing as she parried another attack. "Good. You're learning."

Liria didn't bother responding. Words were pointless in the middle of a fight like this. Instead, she shifted, twisting her sword mid-strike, letting the weight of it guide her movement rather than force it.

The blade caught fire—black, flickering flames surging down its length, an extension of herself.

The Dark Sovereign stepped back just slightly, barely enough to dodge, but Liria noticed.

It wasn't much.

It wasn't victory.

But it was something.

A grin spread across her lips. "Not bad?"

The Dark Sovereign chuckled. "Satisfactory."

Then, faster than Liria could react, she was gone.

A whisper of motion, a flicker of red in the darkness—

And then a hard impact against Liria's ribs, sending her crashing back.

Liria gasped, barely landing on her feet, the thrill of battle still roaring in her ears.

She wiped her mouth, eyes glinting.

This was just the beginning.