Chapter 361
ZARA
There was a sense of stupor and shock at the sight of a girl—actually riding a deadline creature towards them.
On closer inspection, it was clear the creature was being forced along against its will, its movements was strained and unnatural under her control, but it didn't take away from the striking image. A grotesque, headless beast charging forward… and atop it, a girl of almost jarring beauty, completely at ease.
And she was calling out towards—
…no other than the tyrannical empress, Natsuki.
A bright smile was stretched across her face.
"Finally!"
Her voice carried clearly as she waved.
"Finally! I found you, Suki!" Zara shouted at the top of her voice.
Eyes followed the creature as it drew closer, its heavy frame pounding against the ground in relentless rhythm, each step sending dull tremors through the earth. The image it created was almost surreal—a paladin atop a chimeric mount, charging without restraint.
All attention shifted toward its path.
Straight toward Natsuki.
Who was…
Smiling?
The reaction was immediate.
An uproar spread through the group as many stared in disbelief. They had only ever seen that aloof, distant expression on her face—never this.
As Zara grew closer, her twin tails styled into bubble braids bounced with each movement, but her expression suddenly changed into concern.
"Wait… how do you stop this thing again?"
Natsuki's smile vanished instantly, as if it was just a dream much to the disappointment to the eyes of many.
The massive, headless creature continued forward like a runaway train, its muscular frame carrying unstoppable momentum as it showed no signs of slowing.
"Suuukiii! How do you stop a horse!? Do I yell!? Twist its neck!? Pet it!? Lick it!? Roll it!? Call it baby!!!"
Natsuki said nothing.
Her sword was already at her side, ready to cut the creature down before it could rampage through them.
But before she could act—
Zara's expression lit up.
"That's it! I know what to do! It's genius!… Call it baby!"
???
With that, she suddenly leapt forward into the air, placing herself just ahead of the path where the creature would inevitably crash through.
And in her hands—
Was a hammer of ridiculous proportions.
It dwarfed even Lethe's.
It was far bigger.
Its colour was a striking mix of pink and purple, threaded with traces of black that formed a dazzling, almost hypnotic design across its surface. The hammer was double-headed—two massive, flawless striking faces, each promising equal devastation from either side.
Despite its size, it was balanced with unnatural precision. The weight was distributed so perfectly along the reinforced haft that it moved like an extension of her body rather than something she had to carry.
The metal itself was dense, one face coated in deep pink, the other in rich purple.
The edges were slightly beveled, preventing damage without sacrificing any of its crushing force. The long handle granted reach and control, wrapped tightly in a grip that wouldn't slip, no matter how violent the motion.
Faint lines ran across its surface—markings meant for mana as she held it like it weighed nothing at all.
With a sparkly white smile, she raised it above her head with ease, both hands steady on the grip. Her arms tensed as muscles tightened and bulged slightly as she brought the hammer down with impeccable timing—at a speed no one should have been capable of with something that size.
It was a devastating strike.
The creature didn't react.
Didn't even seem to understand that death was looming over it...And just as the hammer came crashing down, words escaped Zara's lips—
"Stop it, baby!!!!"
BOOM!!!
The impact detonated through the air.
The upper portion of the creature's body was crushed instantly, its structure collapsing under the force as its form gave way in a heavy, rupturing impact. The sound was thick and violent, something between a crack and a wet collapse as the force drove straight through it. Its body folded unnaturally, the front half flattening and splitting under the pressure as fragments and dark fluids burst outward from the point of contact.
The shockwave reverberated across the ground, rippling outward as the momentum carried the hammer straight through into the earth beneath. The surface fractured on impact, dust and debris erupting as the low-hanging fog was violently dispersed in all directions.
The remains of the creature twitched for a brief moment—collapsed, broken, and unrecognisable—before beginning to fade, unable to sustain itself after such overwhelming force.
Natsuki squinted as, from the aftermath, a figure burst out and landed directly onto her, forcing her knees to buckle slightly under the sudden weight.
"W-wait—drop your hammer."
"Oooohhh, sorry!"
A heavy thud followed as the hammer met the earth, sinking slightly into the ground from sheer force alone.
Then a sight that would be imprinted into the mind of many for the eons of time took place as they watched the scene of two beauties embracing each other, with the bigger one being held up by the smaller one via hands on thighs, their faces infinitely close as they smiled at each other.
It was such a heart-throbbing sight that some were drawn to tears, wondering how anyone could ever witness such a pulchritudinous sight, as it was sadly brought to an end.
Then, as if reality refused to allow the moment to linger too long, Zara spoke again.
"Wait… why did I call it a horse earlier? I should've called it 'orse' because it doesn't have a head, so there's no need for a h right? Actually… that doesn't make any sense… anyways, I missed you sooo much… can I give you a kiss?"
With that, Natsuki's aloof expression returned as she suddenly let go, causing Zara to fall onto the ground.
"Ow… you're such a big meanie, even though that was just a joke and I miss you so much!"
Zara looked up to see Natsuki's hand extended toward her.
"I told you to stop making jokes like that… and… do you not think I missed you too?" Natsuki said plainly.
Zara's eyes sparkled as she ignored the hand completely and instead went straight into a bear hug, rubbing her face affectionately against Natsuki.
But Natsuki didn't resist.
Instead, she wrapped her arms around Zara's back.
IAM, Reuel, Yohan, and the rest watched the entire scene in silence, all of them seemingly having forgotten that the battle was still supposed to be taking place.