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"So, is this what you came for, Riku?" Schwi asked softly.
"You could say that... or not. I didn't come all this way just for some half-finished prototype," Riku said as he stepped forward and placed his hand on the machine's energy barrier.
"I don't really get it," Schwi mumbled, tilting her head again.
Riku shook his head slightly, then started communicating silently with his system.
"System, can I recover this thing?"
Ding! Detected item: 'Void Zero Protection' (incomplete version). Estimated value: 25,000 exchange points. Recycle it?
"Don't recycle it. Can I store it instead?"
"Yes."
"Alright, store it."
"Understood."
In an instant, the 'Void Zero Protection' vanished from the machine, leaving Schwi stunned.
"Zzzzzap—!!"
And that triggered a trap. Lightning burst out from all directions, centering around Riku.
"Riku!" Schwi cried out, clearly worried.
"Don't come near me. I'm fine. Just keep yourself safe," Riku said calmly.
Right then, he opened the Sixth Gate—the Gate of View. A deep green aura flared around him as intense spirit power surged from his body, completely obliterating the magic traps.
Trying to take down someone using the Sixth Gate with a bunch of leftover spells? What a joke. If the Elves were actually capable of that, they wouldn't have gotten annihilated by Jibril singlehandedly.
The result? A brief flash of lightning and then… silence. Like nothing had even happened.
"Riku… okay," Schwi nodded softly, letting out a breath of relief. She glanced back at the now-empty machine and asked, "Riku, that thing's gone."
"No worries. I just put it away," Riku said with a small smile.
"How did Riku put it away? Schwi couldn't analyze it."
"Hmm... let's just say it's my special space ability," Riku replied with a chuckle, rubbing his face sheepishly.
The whole system thing—he couldn't tell anyone about it, not even her.
He looked at Schwi, who was still puzzling over it, and gave her a pat on the head before heading toward the other side of the room. Sitting quietly in the corner was a platinum treasure chest.
"Hope it's something good," Riku muttered as he placed his hand on the chest.
Click.
The lock opened. Bright platinum light burst out. Inside was a glowing orb, radiating with energy.
Ding! Congratulations, Master! You have opened a Platinum Chest and obtained: High-Level Chaos Energy Core.
The system's pleasant chime rang in his mind.
"High-level Chaos Energy Core? Not bad... this should help boost my strength quite a bit," Riku said with a satisfied grin.
The mid-tier core had already let him use Unlimited Blade Works, fire light cannons, and even open the Eight Gates for insane power boosts. This high-level one would definitely be even more impressive—after all, it did come from a platinum chest.
"Would you like to start fusion?" the system asked.
"Yeah, go for it," Riku replied steadily.
With that, the system began its work. The high-level Chaos Energy Core slowly merged into Riku's body...
In an instant, Riku felt a scorching heat surge through his body. The energy inside him skyrocketed wildly.
"Riku, your energy is spiking," Jibril said, noticing right away. She stared at Riku, visibly shocked.
She could see that his energy had suddenly exploded, eventually even surpassing the level of a Flügel before it finally stabilized.
"Whew… this feeling… it's awesome!" Riku grinned, feeling the changes in his body. If he had to fight Zhu Yue again now, even without using Kyōka Suigetsu or Hanawa's powers, he was confident he wouldn't be at a disadvantage.
"Riku, sudden power-up. Jibril, confused." Jibril walked over, clearly puzzled. This whole thing was way outside the range of data she had stored.
"If you can't figure it out, don't overthink it. Just know this—I'm not your average guy." Riku smiled calmly.
"Okay." Jibril nodded, then looked up. "So, where to now?"
"Where to…" Riku paused to think. But suddenly, his eyes snapped wide open, a sharp, cold light flashing in them.
"Riku, what's wrong?" Sensing the shift in his emotions, Jibril asked.
"Fia's in danger." Riku's voice was low and serious, his powerful aura shaking the air around them.
In the next moment, Riku grabbed Jibril's hand, a glowing purple magic circle forming beneath their feet. Then the two of them vanished from the spot.
"Tough little thing, aren't you? But still not quite there yet." Magic spells rained down like they cost nothing, as Jibril gleefully attacked Hatsuse Fia.
She was using the exact same spells as forest spirits, but with over ten times the power.
Fia had no choice but to dodge through the air, relying on her ghost-like speed to stay alive.
One hit from those spells and she'd be stunned—that'd be fatal.
Close combat wasn't an option either. The Flügel had a broken ability called "Heavenly Shift," a spatial power that made getting close nearly impossible. Unless she could hit first with a move so fast the enemy couldn't react, one-hit-kill style, and maybe that would work against a normal Flügel…
But against Jibril, a special variant? Not a chance. Total pipe dream.
So Fia could only keep dodging, which burned through her stamina fast.
Every now and then, she even had to tank wide-range magic with her fists.
Watching from a distance, Shinku saw the scene unfolding in the sky. Her face darkened. She hesitated… but didn't go back to help.
Even if Fia had saved their lives once, she was still technically the enemy. Plus, she had threatened her before.
But the next second, Shinku froze. So did the other beastmen who were running away. Even Jibril narrowed her eyes and stopped attacking, glancing sharply in one direction.
And Fia? Her expression first lit up with joy—then she noticed something… puffed up her cheeks, pouting with a look full of annoyance.
"Jibril, well well, we meet again. Chasing me last time wasn't enough? Now you're going after my sweet little Fia? Ugh, you're really asking for it—I'm gonna pound you into the ground."
Suddenly appearing beside Fia, Riku looked Jibril dead in the eyes, clearly pissed.
"....."