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Ruzyeli possessed more than enough power to fell a Mid-tier Beast-Devil. Whether in offense or defense, her skills were undisputed. However, a definitive chasm lay between humans and these monstrosities: Endurance.
The frantic high-speed flight, the desperate evasions, and the constant barrage of strikes had drained her Aether reserves to the dregs. Her breath came in ragged gasps; her swings had lost their lethal edge. In contrast, the Beast-Devil—though mangled and missing its left arm—showed no signs of slowing. It was a tireless engine of slaughter.
As Ruzyeli lunged through a web of crackling lightning, the creature’s log-like arm swung toward her, fingers ending in spears of jagged bone. Just as those claws seemed poised to impale her—her velocity doubled.
Her dulling blades regained their predatory sheen, carving deep, agonizing furrows into the monster’s reinforced hide.
“And there’s the better half,” Zehain remarked from the clock tower, arms folded in smug satisfaction.
His gaze fell upon the residential district, where the Holy Maiden Marzina had just arrived. Through her Vision-Seal, she glared up at him with cold fury.
“Sorry… you saved me,” Ruzyeli murmured, hovering beside her. A faint, shimmering veil of Aether now enveloped her body—Marzina’s Divine Pulse was overcharging Ruzyeli’s physical limits, heightening her speed and lethality.
“You’re being reckless,” Marzina said, her voice a mix of maternal concern and sharp reprimand. “Exercise some restraint.” To Ruzyeli, Marzina was the older sister she never had. The guilt of always causing her worry pricked at Ruzyeli’s heart.
“Let’s end this. Quickly!” Marzina commanded. The crimson gem atop her staff flared with incandescent light.
Ruzyeli crossed her arms over her chest, manifesting two massive claymores—one crimson, one violet—to her flanks. With a sharp intake of breath, she dived. The Beast-Devil roared a dissonant cry and lunged, but Ruzyeli was a blur of light.
In a heartbeat, the red blade streaked out—a flash of steel that blinded the creature’s eyes. Simultaneously, the violet blade swept through its neck.
—Shadow-Sever.
A dual-strike designed to strip the enemy of their sight before delivering an inescapable execution.
The massive head slid from the shoulders, crashing to the cobblestones as a geyser of oily, black ichor erupted into the air.
“Impressive,” Zehain drawled, offering a slow, mocking applause. “You girls certainly put on a show.”
Marzina brushed a stray lock of hair from her face, her tone icy. “Enough games, Zehain. Where did that Beast-Devil come from? What is your endgame?”
“Where? I summoned it through Abyssal Conjuration, then bound it with Dominion Sorcery. Simple, really.”
“Impossible,” Marzina hissed. “Both are Forbidden Arts. Only a handful of mages on the entire continent can even attempt them.”
“Well, seeing as I’m the one who invented them… I wouldn’t sweat the details.” Zehain gripped his spear, which pulsed with a sickening, miasmic aura.
He invented them? The realization sent a chill through Marzina that Ruzyeli could feel through their shared pulse. Only a few beings possessed the power to topple nations with a single spell. Was he truly one of them?
Ruzyeli, however, had no room for political dread. “It doesn’t matter who you are. You are a blight upon the Regalia Empire.” Her intent to kill was palpable, a dark pressure radiating from her small frame. “You won’t leave this place alive.”
“Haha! I like you, kid. You’re delightfully simple,” Zehain laughed. “But I have other Maidens whose combat potential I’ve yet to assess.”
He raised his spear, and a sphere of absolute darkness manifested at his feet, swelling until it matched the size of the fallen beast. “Play with this one for a while.”
The sphere dissolved into a thick fog, revealing a fresh Mid-tier Beast-Devil—this one covered in obsidian scales and rows of serrated fangs. It let out a roar that shook the very foundations of the city. As Zehain took to the sky toward the northern district, Ruzyeli surged forward.
“Wait!” she screamed, but she couldn’t give chase. The new horror was already awake and hungry.
“Tch. How annoying,” Marzina said, spinning her staff into a combat stance. “Fine. We’ll crush this thing in seconds and then hunt him down.”
The hunt was far from over. Without a second’s hesitation, the two Holy Maidens plunged back into the fray.
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