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The sun dipped toward the horizon, bleeding crimson across the waves.
Zigre had arrived at the offshore fortress to request reinforcements, but what awaited her was the shadow of a nightmare.
“They’re already engaged?! This is no time to be asking for favors…!”
The beast was easily over twenty meters tall. Half its massive bulk remained submerged, while it thrashed its tail with a roar that seemed to vibrate from the very depths of the earth. It was a Great Beast, its body armored in thick, slate-gray scales.
A Saint with short black hair streaked through the air around the creature, delivering savage slashes. Another Saint, with pink hair, provided covering fire from a distance.
Zigre spiraled down toward the fortress’s rooftop.
There, standing amidst the fading light, was a woman with long, flowing red hair. Her crimson locks and obsidian-black armor stood out sharply against the darkening sea. She didn’t flinch as she watched the fierce battle through a golden visor. Two massive shields, far too large for her slender frame, hovered silently at her sides.
Zigre landed beside her and quickly relayed the situation. The woman listened in silence, her gaze never wavering from the battlefield. Despite the chaos below, her voice was chillingly calm.
“—I understand the situation. But as you can see, we are occupied.”
(I figured as much. But I never expected to run into the boss of the Empire in a place like this…)
The red-haired woman was none other than Palzea, the Holy Empress—the woman who had united war-torn minor nations to forge a mighty Empire. It was unheard of for a Head of State to be on the front lines. Yet, Palzea stood there precisely because it was a slaughterhouse. As an Empress who led through absolute power, she had to stand at the vanguard.
She possessed an aura of pressure that only a veteran of a thousand battles could emit. Palzea remained silent for a moment, her hand resting on her chin as her gaze shifted back toward the fray.
At that instant, the black-haired Holy Maiden swung her Sable blade, severing the beast’s arm in a single motion.
The black-haired Saint swung her ebony blade, severing the beast’s arm in a single motion. Ink-black blood erupted, and a shriek of agony tore through the air. The severed limb crashed into the sea, sending a massive spray into the sky.
Enraged, the Great Beast writhed and surged toward the fortress. Its glowing red eyes were locked onto Palzea.
“H-hey! It’s coming right for us!”
Zigre instinctively kicked off the ground, hovering in the air.
She deployed her twin gun-type Blitz units.
She knew the beast’s hyper-hard carapace couldn’t be easily pierced by mana-infused bullets—yet, she couldn’t help but take a stance. The killing intent radiating from the monster was suffocating.
The tail that had been submerged broke the surface, lashing upward like a whip. It tore through the air with a whistle, slamming down toward Palzea.
Zigre held her breath, expecting the worst.
But the blow stopped dead above Palzea’s head. The Empress hadn’t even unfolded her arms.
Her two massive shields had risen in an instant, completely nullifying the impact.
There were no other Holy Maidens nearby providing defensive support.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me…! She blocked a Great Beast’s attack… alone?”
A strike from a Great Beast’s tail was normally enough to pulverize a human.
Ziegle had seen many heavy-armored Holy Maidens swatted away like autumn leaves in a gale.
She couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that someone could stand perfectly still while taking such a hit.
“Your rage, your sorrow… take it all,”
A voice whispered—quiet, tinged with a strange sadness.
The black-haired Saint leaped behind the beast, her great blade raised high.
“—And embrace it in death!”
With a resonant ring of steel, the blade fell, severing the beast’s thick tail at the root. The creature recoiled with a final scream, arching its back as if staring at the heavens.
Palzea brushed the twitching tail aside with a flick of her psychokinesis and rose into the air, her twin shields following her. Mana condensed in her palm, glowing with an intense light. The overlapping shields began to spin like massive bullets.
Palzea thrust her hand forward.
The ultra-heavy shields were launched at high speed, as if fired from a railgun, slamming directly into the beast’s brow.
A sound like a shattering mountain echoed across the sea.
The Blitz shields had punched through the beast’s reinforced skull. Like a marionette with its strings cut, the titan fell backward into the ocean. The resulting splash drenched the fortress walls.
“Zigre, was it?”
Palzea spoke, looking down at the beast as it slowly sank into the lightless depths.
“Tell Dimeus this: If the Holy Maidens of Varney fall— I shall personally take the field to deal with the rest.”
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