A dazzling spectrum of colors unfolded before her eyes. With just a casual glance, she could see countless microorganisms and insects moving within the cave. With a little more focus, even their internal structures became visible. Plants stubbornly grew from cracks in the rock, and not far away, underground water flowed slowly through the mountain wall.
Thea blinked once, and her vision returned to normal. With a thought, that wide-ranging perception immediately returned again.
The world she now perceived differed subtly from what she once saw through the Eye of Horus. Whether it was color, detail, or even the molecular structure of objects—so long as she wished to see, she could see it, and see it clearly.
The Eye of Horus is gone.
The thought struck her instantly. There was a trace of surprise—but far more joy.
After undergoing Heroic Spirit transformation and returning to a physical state, followed by the fusion of two clones—transformation, fusion, reconstruction—during that entire process, the Eye of Horus had been completely absorbed and assimilated by her body.
From this moment onward, there was no Eye of Horus.
Only Thea's own eyes remained.
With the barrier between her body and her vision gone, her mental power surged. What now appeared before her eyes was the true world as perceived by divine sight.
She didn't linger on the change in her vision. Almost immediately, her bloodline transmitted new information to her—revealing her true innate talent.
This talent was complex. It was nothing like Damian or Malcolm's straightforward power amplification, nor was it comparable to her former unicorn tattoo. This ability had already begun touching the level of rules.
"The Scale of Order."
That was the name of her new talent.
According to the bloodline description, a completely golden scale would be erected within her mental world. One side represented Order, the other Chaos.
An astonishing number of factors could influence the balance. Thea skimmed through them with her mental power—hundreds of listed entries: praise and slander, construction and destruction, fairness and bias, even concepts such as orderliness and disorder.
All of these could affect the scale's judgment.
When Order outweighed Chaos, the scale would generate something called Willpower. The applications of this Willpower were nearly limitless—altering reality, distorting space, turning the unreal into reality, stopping time, and more. However, the more defiant the effect, the greater the Willpower consumed.
The Willpower generated when Order prevailed would accumulate within the scale. Once she extracted it, the scale would return to equilibrium and begin a new cycle of judgment.
If Chaos outweighed Order, she would gain nothing. There would be no punishment—but no reward either. She would simply have to work to add weight back to the side of Order.
"So troublesome…"
The first thought that flashed through Thea's mind was whether she should buy up major news outlets and have them praise her nonstop. Had her group already transitioned from construction to high-tech R&D, and now it was supposed to enter the media industry as well? That leap was a bit much…
Buying all mainstream global media was clearly unrealistic. The existing political systems ensured press freedom—journalists routinely criticized the very people who paid them, and some even took pride in it.
Certain countries' media were outright impossible to acquire, and even if she did, they certainly wouldn't praise her. As for outlets like Al Jazeera—completely out of the question. That idea was nothing more than a pleasant fantasy.
She focused on the scale for a moment. Many people cursed her—but just as many praised her.
For example, the vast numbers benefiting from her medical pods. Across streets and neighborhoods, Queen Group's medical pods were spreading nationwide. Procedures that cost tens of thousands of dollars in major hospitals now cost only a few thousand—safe, efficient, and capable of resolving most conditions within half an hour.
"This talent really is tailored to my personality…"
Thea sighed. She was accustomed to quietly accumulating wealth. Asking her to act like a traditional superhero—saving an elderly woman from running a red light today, helping a child find a lost dog tomorrow—she simply couldn't bring herself to do it.
She preferred working within existing rules, maintaining those rules, and acting with planning and structure. Not rushing around the city like an emergency responder, saving whoever happened to appear. Philosophically, she already conflicted with traditional superheroes—and this new, order-focused talent only widened that gap.
She wanted to test the power of Willpower. Unfortunately, the scale had only just begun operating. Order outweighed Chaos by the slightest margin—the available Willpower wasn't even as thick as a strand of hair.
After calming herself, she reflected on this strange talent. Though endlessly troublesome, its power was undeniably terrifying. She wasn't some chosen child of God—yet this bloodline talent was so strong that even Merlin, back when he was merely a mage apprentice, likely never awakened anything comparable.
Eliminating other possibilities, the only explanation was that her true talent had long been suppressed—and had continued evolving as her power increased.
Or perhaps her talent awakening had never reached its final stage. Once the unicorn tattoo was removed, this ability emerged fully formed—powerful beyond reason.
Most people awakened talents while still mortal. Thea had been forcibly suppressed until now. From a purely talent-based perspective, she might well be an unprecedented demigod-level mage apprentice.
She checked her body again. Even inside the cave, ambient light still existed. Her ability to absorb sunlight and moonlight remained intact—otherwise, being forced to practice eighteen meditation techniques a day like Mr. E would have driven her to become a pure warrior instead.
She retrieved a set of clothes from her spatial ring. After hesitating briefly between flying back or teleporting, she chose teleportation—less trouble.
She didn't return to Star City or Metropolis. Instead, she appeared directly in London, where Diana owned an apartment.
"Finished with your business?" Diana asked, watering flowers without turning around, having sensed the spatial disturbance.
"My strength has increased a lot. Let's spar."
"It's still daytime…"
"What are you thinking?! A duel!" Thea interrupted. "Gear up—we'll find an uninhabited planet."
Without giving her time to argue, Thea dragged Diana off-world.
Thea needed intense combat to fully adapt to her new physical strength. Diana sighed, set down the watering can, picked up her equipment, and followed.
Sword and shield in hand, fully armed—this was Diana's attitude toward battle. She never discarded equipment out of arrogance, and Thea knew that well.
Thea didn't use powered armor. She didn't cast enhancement magic. She simply tied her hair into a single ponytail. She didn't draw the Holy Sword—instead, she charged forward wielding the Godkiller Sword, a weapon Diana knew all too well.
"Careful!"
Diana didn't block head-on, choosing instead to sidestep. But she underestimated Thea's speed.
The moment the thought of evasion formed, Thea was already in front of her.
With her competitive spirit ignited, Diana raised her sword and struck back.