She immediately manipulated the wind. Powerful gusts lifted her into the sky while her fairy wings shimmered brilliantly. Only then did she realize one of the seeds she'd dropped earlier had already taken root. Countless vines silently spread beneath the earth.
'Perfect.'
She looked downward. Suddenly, something grabbed her ankle. Without warning, she was hurled toward the ground with monstrous force.
BOOM!!
Blood burst from her mouth. Her vision blurred.
'What...!?'
Vexion appeared directly above her. Without expression, she lifted one leg. Then stomped.
The terrifying force forced Eliosphere to react instantly. A hidden vine erupted from underground, wrapping around her waist before violently dragging her away. Another vine wrapped around Vexion's hips.
Pull her away!
Eliosphere poured mana into the command.
Nothing happened.
Vexion remained standing exactly where she was. The enormous vine strained with everything it had, yet it barely moved her. It was like trying to drag an entire mountain.
'How is she this heavy, while also being that fast!?'
Eliosphere immediately poured even more mana into her Nature Dominion. The surrounding forest exploded into motion — dozens and dozens of thick vines burst from the ground.
Vexion calmly turned. She threw a single punch.
BOOM!!
The air itself shook. The massive vine exploded apart before being ripped completely from the earth.
Without even looking at Eliosphere, Vexion quietly spoke.
"Down."
Instantly, an overwhelming invisible pressure descended from above. The mountains groaned. The earth cracked. Even the air itself seemed to become unbearably heavy.
Eliosphere's wings trembled violently as she desperately fought against the crushing force. Wind battled the unseen pressure.
And wind lost. She was forced downward. The lower she descended, the heavier the pressure became. Until—
BOOM!!
She crashed straight into the side of a towering cliff.
Eliosphere grunted as she extended a single finger toward Vexion. The wind around her fingertips rapidly compressed, spiraling faster and faster until a tiny sphere of condensed air formed no larger than a marble. The surrounding atmosphere distorted. Without hesitation, she flicked her finger. The sphere vanished.
BOOM!!
The explosion tore through the mountainside. Rock shattered. Dust erupted hundreds of meters into the sky while enormous boulders were hurled in every direction.
The mountain itself trembled beneath the impact.
Yet the destruction was only the beginning. Mana flowed through the earth beneath Eliosphere's feet.
The barren rock suddenly burst with life. Grass rapidly spread across the stone. Massive roots erupted from underground.
Towering trees grew at a speed visible to the naked eye, their trunks thickening in seconds as gigantic flowers bloomed between them.
Vines thicker than a man's waist crawled through the battlefield like living serpents, wrapping themselves around cliffs and rocks alike.
In less than ten seconds, the once open mountainside had become a miniature forest — not dense enough to block vision completely, but more than enough to become Eliosphere's domain.
She narrowed her eyes. 'Did that hit her?' The dust slowly dispersed.
Nothing. Vexion had disappeared.
Eliosphere's pupils contracted. 'Where!?'
BOOM!!
Something smashed into the side of her face. Her head violently snapped sideways as blood sprayed from her mouth.
Her entire body followed, skipping across the ground before crashing through several enormous rocks. The world spun. Blood trickled from her right ear.
'I didn't even see—'
She instinctively looked upward. Vexion was already there. Expressionless. One leg extended outward. Like an executioner's axe, it descended.
Eliosphere reacted instantly. A barrier of compressed wind erupted before her while thick vines burst from the earth, wrapping around her waist to yank her backwards. The kick struck.
CRACK!!
The barrier shattered. Most of the force dispersed, but not all. The heel buried itself into Eliosphere's stomach. Her ribs bent inward.
Pain exploded through her abdomen. My ribs!!'
She was launched across the battlefield once again, tumbling uncontrollably before desperately regaining herself.
The instant her feet touched the ground, she poured mana into the surrounding vegetation. Leaves erupted from countless trees, each hardening until their edges gleamed like blades.
The wind caught them — thousands of razor-sharp leaves filled the sky. Vines erupted beneath the earth. Flowers opened.
Bright crimson pollen drifted through the air. The battlefield had transformed completely.
Vexion had been about to continue pursuing her, yet she suddenly stopped. Her foot landed softly atop a cliff overlooking the newly created forest.
The wind gently blew against her hair. She simply watched.
Jurian frowned.
"...Her physical abilities are absurd."
Aishwani nodded slowly.
"More than that — how is she stronger than Gorgon, while also being just as fast?"
Neither of them could understand it. Gorgon relied upon overwhelming physical strength. Yet Vexion matched him. No — she surpassed him.
Dante quietly chuckled to himself. 'Well, every time V deals significant pain, she grows stronger. Strength, speed, durability, even endurance. Limited per individual, of course.'
His gaze remained fixed on Vexion. 'But after everything she's done over the years, how many people has she tortured to death? Enough.'
Across from him, Elric wasn't looking at Eliosphere. He was watching Vexion.
"...She's angry."
Lexa nodded.
"But she's thinking."
Amber blinked.
"...Thinking?"
Lexa folded her arms.
"Look."
Amber followed her gaze. The battlefield had become dangerous. The towering flowers. The oversized leaves. The thick vines.
The pollen. Even the roots beneath the earth.
Everything had become a potential weapon.