Nothing. There was nothing left in that place except the spot where the three of them stood. Well, beneath them a gigantic dark crater stretched across the entire zone. Even the air in the atmosphere had changed to a reddish tone as the explosion diminished until it disappeared, pulling that air toward the center. A second later, another destructive wave occurred—even though there was nothing left to destroy.
"They didn't even have time to say goodbye."
"Mom… it's really strong."
Incandis closed her eyes, seeming happy at the display of power Valença had shown. When she opened them, she felt two weights fall onto her back. Both Enrico and Valença were a little tired from the battle, with Enrico being less exhausted due to his higher endurance.
"…Are you okay, Valença?"
"…I am. If you want, I can still keep fighting."
"I'd like to continue, but the last fight belongs to Elaris."
"What a shame. I was going to show the next opponent how strong I am too."
Valença had her face buried in Incandis' back. Thinking about it, this was her second attack at that level today, since the day hadn't even ended since the one she unleashed in the forest.
'And even so, she still has thirty percent of her mana left after so many powerful attacks.'
Enrico also had his face buried in Incandis' back. The two of them were using her like that for a simple reason—her back was warm and comfortable to lie on.
"Incandis, let's get out of here."
"Right, Dad."
Taking flight, she left that place filled with red air. Even after the second destructive wave, it hadn't returned to normal. It could be repaired just like the forest, but in a different way. The strongest creature would be the one to remove that secondary effect of Valença's attack.
'Now it's your turn, Princess. I hope you use well what I gave you.'
A necklace moved slightly inside Elaris' pocket. It was blue, shaped like a snowflake. She had received it before even thinking about entering Lake Thalanor. He had given it to her when they reunited last month.
'He gave me this necklace, but I don't even know what it does.'
Elaris looked at the gift and then at the gauntlets on her hands. She truly needed to reward him once everything was over—or maybe before, depending on the answer.
'It seems I really am starting to like him… Would making him my husband be a good reward? I'd also end up with someone I like.'
Placing her hand on her chin seriously, she genuinely considered it a good reward. After all, he would become king of the elves and of an entire dimension. Of course, that was only possible because, as she had admitted, she was beginning to like him.
'If I keep going like this, I'll have to take this relationship seriously and fight for first place in his heart.'
She was sitting atop a small tree while the passage of indestructible vines remained closed. The vines in front of a door-sized hole were indestructible to anyone below the ninth circle. Even an eighth-circle mage couldn't break them.
"An earthquake?"
Elaris noticed a tremor around her. It was quite strong and undoubtedly coming from somewhere to the left.
"It must have been Valença using some spell."
The vines began to move, confirming that all three of her companions had defeated their opponents. If that was the case, she couldn't even imagine falling behind.
Entering the giant tree through the opening, Elaris immediately noticed a great difference between the inside and the outside. One of the main differences was that it was snowing inside. The ground was covered in soft snow when she stepped on it, yet she didn't sink.
"You're better than the last princess I saw trying to enter."
A voice beside her startled her. Turning around, what appeared to be a child stood a few meters away. She was no taller than a ten-year-old girl. Her body was slender, almost fragile at first glance, covered in a white tunic that seemed made from the very snow falling around her. Her bare feet left no marks on the thick layer of ice.
Her skin had a pale tone with a faint bluish tint, like marble touched by eternal cold. Her hair was long, straight, and extremely light—not ordinary white, but a muted silver that reflected the snowy light as if stars were trapped within the strands.
'Her eyes.'
Her eyes were the most disturbing detail. They had no visible pupils. Completely crystalline, translucent like deep ice. Inside them seemed to exist something far greater than the body that held them—as if that small form were merely a temporary mask for something that could not fit within that space.
"You are…"
"Yes. The strongest creature in the Elven Dimension."
This was the restrained form of the creature Enrico had spoken about. And honestly, looking into her eyes was frightening. It brought a pressure to Elaris' heart that made it slightly difficult to breathe.
"So—"
"You have very strong companions."
With a small movement, the little girl was already beside Elaris, sitting on the trunk of a broken white tree. She swung her legs in the snow as if enjoying free time from her duties.
"One of them managed to surpass the speed of a normal seventh-circle by using all of his light magic on his body."
Elaris widened her eyes slightly. Without a doubt, she was talking about Kai. That meant the battles must have been harder than she imagined if that aberration had to exceed his limits.
"Of course, it was only momentary and only increased his speed to that level. And he awakened a terrifying unique ability—just like that girl."
"You're talking about Valença?"
"That's her name, right? My ears were still a little numb after waking up. And yes, she only needs a small push after that terrifying attack she launched."
The little girl pretended to look scared, which Elaris honestly didn't care about. It seemed they were showing great growth. It was good she had brought them. The other aberration she brought would have had to stay at their base. Curiously, she wanted to know more about her three companions from this being's perspective.
"What do you think will happen when Valença awakens that ability?"
"…She'll reach the mana quantity of a seventh-circle even while still being sixth-circle."
"Hehe, how absurd."
"Yes, it's truly absurd. But those two aren't as frightening as the boy who hides things and finds things that should never have been found."
Narrowing her eyes, Elaris noticed the little girl wore a dark smile—not malicious, but filled with an unsettling curiosity. A few drops of sweat slid down her face.