Gruce said, "We'll get killed in the attack too!"
Jewel replied, "Don't worry. I'll protect you two. If you die, who will spread the news of the captain's victory?"
Lilith raised her hand. "Now… Void Magic: Shadow Ball."
Elaar's eyes widened. "We can't survive this!"
Hearld growled, "Even my Absolute Shield can't stand up to that!"
Lilith whispered, "Now…"
The Shadow Ball crashed into them. Every living plant in a two‑hundred‑meter radius withered and died.
The others survived only because of Jewel's Light Shield.
Gruce trembled. "She really… is a monster."
Jewel's voice was calm. "Her strength… sure is."
Hearld coughed, dragging himself up. "How… how did we survive that?"
Elaar shook her head. "We didn't. The only reason we're still alive is because she held back. Otherwise… we'd be dust."
Hearld's resolve faltered. "I think we should call it. Our lives aren't worth this."
Elaar opened her mouth. "I—Jewel—"
But Lilith spoke first. "Attribute: Metal Magic—Mercurian Gag."
A shimmering silver mass sealed Elaar's mouth shut. Hearld tried to shout, but his mouth too was closed by liquid mercury.
Gruce cried out, "Help them! They've already admitted defeat!"
Jewel shook her head. "Unless they say it fully… I can't do anything."
Lilith's voice turned cold. "You won't escape. I promised your deaths would be far worse than Tenebris's. Now… let the festival of death begin."
"Attribute: Steel—Piercing Mercury!"
Mercury hardened into countless needles that tore into Elaar and Hearld.
Hearld's muffled scream broke through as he tried to speak: Please… let me live… it was Gabriel's fault… we tried…
Elaar's eyes filled with tears, but the mercurian gag silenced her pleas.
Both began to beg wordlessly, tears streaming, as Lilith's voice rang out again.
"Attribute: Metal—Lead Blades!"
Toxic blades of lead pierced them, and their vision blurred, red creeping into the edges.
Lilith stepped closer. "Now."
Elaar and Hearld crawled desperately toward their weapons.
Lilith snapped, "Won't allow it. Void Magic—Gradient Slash!"
Their fingers fell away, severed before they could grasp their weapons.
Hearld choked, "We… we don't have any chance of victory… or survival…"
Jewel crossed her arms. "After all the dirty tricks they pulled, they deserve to die."
Lilith's eyes burned with fury. "Then let's end this once and for all. Void x Attribute Steel Strike—Absolute Destruction!"
She conjured an orb of void energy, infused with mercury, and hurled it. The orb engulfed Elaar and Hearld, tearing them apart in a slow, agonizing death.
Lilith whispered, "It's done. Void Magic—Gradient Slash."
Two swift motions—and their heads were severed.
Gruce gasped. "What… what was that for?"
Lilith's gaze was steady. "For proof that they are truly dead. Now take them back and declare: they are no more, and their territory is mine."
Meanwhile, in the Faust mansion, Tenebris was laid to rest.
Everyone gave their tearful goodbyes—everyone except Lilith and Jewel.
Meanwhile, in the capital…
A voice whispered, "Master Gabriel… Hearld and Elaar are no more."
Gabriel smiled faintly.
The servant asked, "Master… why are you smiling?"
Gabriel's eyes glimmered. "Now that Domr and Tenebris are also gone… there's no one left with the authority to stop me. Lilith Faust and her remaining relatives… they're just pawns on the board. Pawns that shift faster than lightning."