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No one expected things to turn out like this. Shinku had casually dropped a slur against humans, and Fia totally snapped.
"Heh... okay, I won't say that again. Mind moving your hand first?" Shinku forced a nervous laugh, drenched in sweat. The shadow of death she felt under Fia's gaze was terrifying.
"This is your one and only warning." Fia pulled her hand back after a few long seconds, canceling Bloodburst and returning to normal.
"..." Everyone let out a silent breath. A fight here would've been seriously bad. But inside, especially for the elves, a huge question lingered.
That terrifyingly strong beastman girl… her partner was a human?
And she really believed he could beat the War God?
Are the beastmen out of their minds?
Even so, no one dared say anything out loud. They were too scared of setting Fia off again and getting wiped out on the spot.
"So, what's your answer? Give me a proper reply. If you try to back out later, you know what happens." Fia's tone was cold. Because of Shinku's earlier insult, she was done being nice. No more pretending.
"About that..." Shinku's face tensed. Leading the elves to join an alliance led by a human? A human aiming to kill a god? It was crazy.
She wanted to brush it off, but she knew if she didn't give a clear answer, the consequences would be deadly.
"What are the forest monkeys and wild beasts chatting about so seriously? Mind if I join in?" Suddenly, a ripple of space appeared above them.
A perfect little leg stepped through, followed by a graceful figure floating in the air.
With a halo above her head and glowing white wings, her stunning beauty and aura made it clear—she was a Skywing.
"Jibril!!!" Shinku's face turned pale as soon as she saw the figure above.
"A beastman and an elf standing side by side? Now that's interesting. So, what were you all discussing just now? Care to fill me in? I'm very curious," Jibril said cheerfully, floating in the sky, looking down at them.
"Run! I'll hold her off!" Fia's expression darkened, and she barked an order to her comrades.
"But Princess Fia—!" the beastmen protested, alarmed.
"I said go! You'll only get in my way if you stay!" Fia shouted urgently.
"Understood!" Reluctantly, the dozen or so beastmen nodded, then shot off at top speed, fleeing into the distance.
"Move!" Shinku didn't hesitate either. She cast several speed spells on herself and bolted.
In an instant, it became a full-blown escape mission. Elves and beastmen alike were running, hearts pounding with fear, anger, and confusion.
"Heh. You really think I'll let you escape?" Jibril smirked coldly.
As she spoke, she activated her spirit magic—ready to strike.
"Don't even think about it!"
Seeing what was about to happen, Hatsuse Fia didn't hesitate for a second. She activated her Blood Badge and shot through the air straight at Jibril, throwing a punch that looked like it could tear space apart.
Jibril's face changed slightly at the attack. She immediately teleported out of the way, but there was an excited, curious gleam in her eyes as she stared at Hatsuse Fia—like she was examining some rare, precious specimen.
"Oh? A beastman this strong? You're quite the oddball, huh? A leader-type at Level 4~ Mind if I borrow your head for my collection~?"
She grinned like a lunatic and let out a creepy giggle.
"Hmph!"
Fia didn't bother with words—she answered with another punch.
In the blink of an eye, the skies exploded with the force of their battle. Shockwaves rippled through the air. But despite her power, Hatsuse Fia was clearly at a major disadvantage against Jibril.
Still, she didn't panic. She'd already activated the spatial coordinates on her wedding ring.
A bit earlier...
While Hatsuse Fia was helping the Elves fight off the Demons, Riku and Schwi had already arrived in the Elven capital.
The place was scorched and wrecked. The beautiful gardens that once filled the city were gone, leaving behind a bleak, miserable scene... though honestly, that kind of destruction was nothing new on this war-torn planet.
"Riku, this place was hit by something powerful. Judging from the lingering traces of energy, it was probably a Heaven's Strike from the Flügel," Schwi said quietly, her eyes flashing with analytical data.
"Looks like my gut feeling back then wasn't wrong," Riku muttered, patting her on the head.
"Why'd we come here, Riku?" Schwi tilted her head, genuinely confused.
"You'll find out soon, Schwi," Riku replied with a faint smile as he pulled out a spirit array disk.
A few minutes later, Riku arrived at a specific spot of land. He gave the ground a light tap with his foot—producing a hollow echo that made his eyes light up.
He crouched down, brushed away the dust, dug a bit, then pried open a metal hatch.
A hidden passageway appeared before them.
"Alright, let's go down."
Holding Schwi's hand, Riku stepped into the underground tunnel.
After a few minutes, they reached a wide, open space. The area lit up, revealing a massive piece of machinery in the center. Suspended at its core was a glowing orb—almost like a light-egg—surrounded by complex magical carvings. The air buzzed with intense spirit energy.
"Riku, is this...?" Schwi asked, half in awe.
"Yeah. This is the Elves' ultimate weapon. Schwi, you know about the God Species Kainas and his signature move, right?" Riku gently stroked her head as he spoke.
"Kainas' ultimate move... is the Void Zero Protection, a fusion of 108 high-tier spells," Schwi answered without hesitation.
"Exactly. And this thing is a prototype version of that move. Some Elven genius created it. It's probably not as powerful as the real thing, but it's still insanely strong. Though, by the looks of it, it's incomplete."
Riku studied the glowing orb carefully.
"The Elves…" Schwi murmured, her eyes flickering with new data. The fact that they could recreate a move from a god-tier being was seriously impressive.
"....."