The second sun blazed in the sky above Pelican City.
Her Highness, the Elder Princess, descended upon this place without tempering the intense heat she radiated, as if she intended to announce her arrival with this painfully scorching presence.
Evora, perched in midair with her legs crossed, watched with satisfaction as the commoners knelt before her, her gaze extending beyond the city to the vast farmlands.
"A land of miracles... heh," she remarked with disdain.
"Since when have miracles become such cheap commodities?"
The tyrannical sun retracted its blazing light, descending from the firmament until Evora's face broke into a smile once more as she looked towards the entrance of the city.
This month had been dreadfully dull for Evora; devoid of fresh amusements or intriguing diversions. Although such things seldom occupied her daily life, the tedium of the world was inescapable after her lengthy self-imposed training sessions, making it difficult for her to find joy.
Her sole leisure activity was to quietly observe Ansel's game and see how it would unfold.
"Superfluous..."
She muttered under her breath, her gaze fixated on two distant figures, particularly the petite and delicate one, with eyes that seemed to burn with irritation.
"Had it not been for you, this game... might have been far more entertaining."
Restrict extraordinary beings? Maintain fair competition?
What a joke! They should be allowed to fight like hyenas, scrabbling and tearing at each other... that would be truly entertaining!
Although the events in Watson's domain over the past month could be considered a decent spectacle, they were not enough to truly please Evora.
However, the thought of what was to come brought an extremely delighted smile to her face.
"Have you not had your fill, Ansel?"
Her voice pierced through the streets, reaching Ansel and Ravenna's ears as they entered the city gates.
To outsiders, this seemed like a typical display of irreconcilable differences, but only they knew that this was merely a performance for the foolishly self-important.
But Ansel was well aware—Evora was not merely acting.
This woman, who would love nothing more than to have the entire world melt in the crucible of her palm, was provoking him under the guise of a performance.
Yet in terms of power, Ansel was no match for Evora at the moment. Under normal circumstances, he would not be her equal until both inherited the divine might of a sixth-stage deity.
Ansel had not prioritized the pursuit of power in his sixteen years of life; it was the least important on his agenda.
Drawing knowledge from the memories of another world that could change everything and formulating a plan to defy fate... was what mattered most in his life.
Evora, on the other hand, seemed quite... pure.
Throughout history, Evora of Flamefeast, has been the most power-hungry of her lineage, without equal.
Her desire for power was fervent and unceasing, and even though the hope of the Flamefeast reaching the seventh stage lay in her, no one has ever pursued power with such relentless dedication from birth until now.
In the standoff that ensued, Ansel rarely revealed his true power, but this time...
The all-consuming darkness replaced the ground beneath their feet, and the three of them seemed to stand upon a vast expanse of "nonexistent darkness." The chilling aura emanating from this darkness, far more despair-inducing than the physical pain caused by Evora's intense heat, enveloped them.
Ansel remained silent, simply watching Evora...
— Like a towering serpent poised to strike its prey.
"...Do you wish to challenge me in earnest?"
Evora narrowed her eyes, recognizing the essence all too well—the essence of Hydral as the ultimate entity, the very nature of the abyssal end.
It was as if... the abyss itself had taken physical form among them.
This affinity with the abyss was perhaps the most astonishing among all the Hydrals.
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