BOOM!
Two light streaks collided with each other above an expanse known as Heindal Continent.
It was mere two minutes for this struggle to begin, yet the result was visible beneath this collision of wills.
CRUMBLE
The whole ground was shaking at a tremendous rate.
The intensity at which shockwaves were destroying the land beneath seemed to shorten the length of the entire place to mere ten minutes.
An approximate time at which the whole of Heindal will be split in half, erasing its existence, while killing half a billion of the population residing on this land.
BANG!
SWISH
Deflecting each other to a distance before again colliding with each other, two amber gazes were fixed on each other, reflecting the enormous power emitting from them.
"You know that she will die soon," Angelica's eyes were shining, her body covered in a hazy amber aura, illuminating herself to a huge extent while intensely looking towards Alisia.
"Before Laila's body vanishes, I will kill you," Alisia's mind had lost all the will to live. Normally, Flagbearers are the most patient and sharp-minded, but right now, even at the cost of burning her own and Laila's life force, she would kill Angelica, inevitably dying with her.
CLANK!
Both of them collided again, their swords vibrating due to the enforced aura of two Zenith Powerhouses covering them.
The metals were already destroyed from within, but the energy supplying kept them intact.
It had already been three minutes, yet things were taking dangerous turns.
Once a forest, now completely barren, lands were plunged, cracking and swallowing everything, but among all this chaos, Ryuk's body remained safe.
⟨It should be enough of you both.⟩
A voice resonated throughout the darkened space. Gaia's rays were split in half by the surrounding sword strikes, causing darkness to descend upon the land, centered on two individuals.
'!?'
Both Alisia and Angelica halted in their tracks, slowly turning towards the very familiar yet unexpected voice.
A figure descended on the land, a beautiful woman with features similar to both of the women looking towards her with widened eyes, her presence exuding a different charisma and calmness.
It was Veronica Devereaux, the first Flagbearer and eldest sister among the previous three titleholders to reach the peak.
"What are you doing here, Veronica?" Angelica narrowed her gaze, surprised to see someone least expected among everyone she knew so far.
Ignoring Angelica's words, Veronica first looked towards a small boy's body lying on the ground before turning towards Alisia. She stated, "Mother wants you to return, Alisia."
"Now she is calling me back. Where was she when they all destroyed my energy core?" Alisia gritted her jaws, her pain turning into pure rage upon seeing their arrival like this. Neither of her sisters was present when her Core was destroyed.
It was a pathetic move done when she was pregnant.
Her Core wouldn't have been destroyed, nor would she have had to hide in some small corner of this world just to protect her child, who inevitably met his fate in the end, if not for her mother and sisters remaining silent.
Their relationship was not like a normal family's, but their current act of friendliness only added fuel to her rage.
"You seem to not be thinking rationally, Alisia. Calm yourself," Veronica narrowed her gaze, observing the entire battlefield.
Instead of focusing on her two sisters, her attention was centered on the boy whose body remained protected after all this chaos.
'....' Contemplating something, her gaze turned towards beside the boy, looking at the empty space. Her lips parted, "Why are you here, Sword Maiden?"
Those words caused both Alisia and Angelica to turn towards the direction where Veronica was looking, observing two figures slowly becoming visible.
SWISH
Within a moment, two individuals appeared: a woman with pink pastel hair standing while holding a sword with both her hands, her eyes covered with a white cloth revealing her lack of eyesight, and another small cloaked figure leaning while green light emanated from her small hands, falling on the boy lying on the ground.
'!?'
Alisia's anger slowly started to turn into something else. Her mind began to gain clarity as she realized, in her anger, she had forgotten about her child's safety.
"Hehe, forgive me. Should have given some privacy," Seraphina only laughed off, before gazing towards a direction in the empty space above the Heindal Continent, her eyes covered with clothes.
"We don't have much time. Alisia, take your Child and also Free Laila now," Veronica also felt something amiss in the surrounding, not that she cared, but her work was to bring back Ryuk.
"But," Alisia's dilemma was visible. Without Laila's help, she will be helpless at Epic Rank. A missing Energy core was enough to cut off her all support she will need in Ardoros to support her Child.
Veronica understanding everything turned towards Angelica, who was looking downward with her dull eyes, grief of losing so much life force, ignoring her. She stated, "Give that Body to Alisia for using as Energy Core."
"What! Why Would I!" Angelica's eyes widened suddenly hearing Veronica's words to give her Precious body to Alisia.
After all, it was her lifetime achievement.
"It's Mother's Orders, and don't forget, You made it using her Essence," Veronica turned towards Alisia, looking at her to make her also understand that she was never left alone, it was just how things were complicated for everyone to express themselves.
WHOOSH
"No! I will never give it!" Angelica's Aura burst out, her anger surging seeing how even after losing so much of life force to help Alisia, now she had to sacrifice her life's hard work like this.
SWISH
Her figure vanished without turning back, gritting her teeth feeling hatred rising not understanding why only she needs to compromise things what belonged to her, only so that her Sister can have it.
BANG!
Before she could cross the borders of Heindal Continent, her body was hurled towards the same position she disappeared, thrown freely before directly crashing on the ground.
BOOOM!
"Kughh!..." Angelica's eyes widened, feeling a tremendous force hitting her body. She looked at Veronica, who stood without any movement before her eyes become blank.
The strength was prove of difference between Legendary Rank and Zenith.
Due to using the life force of her artificial body, Angelica's rank fell by one rank, causing Veronica to overwhelm her within a blink of a moment.
⟨You break it, Veronica.⟩
Another voice reverted, no one seemed to look upward to observe the figure since the voice was very familiar—it was Angelica's real body.
Slowly descending to the ground in a more pitiful state, seeing her lifetime's hard work now broken like that, her anger surged. Still knowing the priorities, she moved to lift the fake body.
⟨I will make another one for her, don't take it. This one has a unique personality.⟩
SWISH
Taking her artificial body, Angelica disappeared from there, not caring about others stopping her, knowing none of them were going to try anything this time.
Her eyes reflected hundreds of battleships arriving at Heindal Continent.
"Let's go, Alisia. It's time for us to leave," Veronica moved towards Alisia who had thrown her bracelet, its gem enlarging to three meters, revealing a sleeping figure inside it.
CRACKLE
Before they could leave, space just a small distance from them started to tear.
A handsome shining in Crimson aura was visible coming out of empty space, making Seraphina recognize the figure, causing Alisia to clench Ryuk's body tightly before Veronica placed her hand on her shoulder.
SWISH
All three of them vanished from there, leaving Heindal Continent to face off against the outside world's invasion.
Hundreds of battleships had covered the whole airspace of Heindal Continent, not leaving a shadow to form on its land.
"Master, will Ryuk get that sword?" Instead of caring about the battleships which could turn whole Heindal into a bloodied land, Yui inquired about the sword secretly Seraphina had implanted in his body.
"Fufu~, you really care for him," Seraphina lightened the mood while space in front of her slowly tore open.
SCREEEEECH!
Sharp sword intent cut through the space, revealing a figure slowly coming out of it. The silhouette's body was shining in crimson aura, pure sword intent shrouding a human's body.
"You came at the right time," Seraphina lightly tilted her head, looking towards the very familiar figure, before glancing towards those hundreds battleships adding.
"It seems Heindal needs to tell the outside world why every strong person chooses this land for retirement, Ronen"