“What do we do now?”

The remaining angels all look to the strongest among them, like starlings turning to their lead hawk.

“No choice. Didn’t expect her strength to be a mountain behind fog. We pull back for now!”

“Understood.”

“You show up when you like and leave when you like? Am I invisible to you? Not in my sky. All of you stay.”

She slashes the space around them, one cut after another, like silk tearing.

“Spatial Sword: Frozen Spacetime!”

The trembling air goes still, like ice sealing a river; no trick lets the angels slip out.

“Good. Let’s continue,” her voice rings like iron.

The angels fall silent, like snow muffling a field.

A long breath passes, dusk sliding over a ridge.

“It seems the only way out is to defeat her. We must merge and become an archangel,” the strongest angel says, voice like a blade drawn slow.

“Then merge.”

“Merge.”

They don’t hesitate. Consent rises like sparks and catches.

“Good. Begin—Fusion!”

A gentle, milky radiance pours from every angel, like dawn spilling over frost.

Senki watches their merging and doesn’t interrupt; she craves a stronger foe like a hunter craves thunder.

Ten seconds pass.

The light fades; only one angel remains, like a statue in a snowstorm.

It bears two pairs of wings.

Its body looks forged like iron.

By its aura, it’s mid-stage Divine Realm.

This is an archangel, a being of Divine Realm power.

“Oh? So that’s an archangel. Interesting.” Her eyes sharpen, stars over black water.

Facing a mid-stage Divine Realm archangel, Senki shows no panic—only rising excitement, like fire finding dry pine.

“Hmph. You’ll regret your ignorance. Holy Light Orb!”

A massive orb blooms in its right hand, then it hurls it like a comet.

The orb screams across the sky toward Senki.

“Dark Sword: Violet Thunder.”

Senki flicks her rapier veiled in violet light, like a snake tasting rain.

Rrrrrrumble.

Thunder cracks overhead, and spears of violet lightning crash down at the orb.

Boom!

Lightning kisses the orb and both explode; the shockwave shoves angel and Senki back a step like wind slamming doors.

“Your magic tier is only SSS peak, yet you can stand against the Divine Realm. Honestly, I’m shocked.”

The archangel lifts its head, then spreads both hands, wings like unfurled banners.

“But I don’t have time to play. Domain of Laws—open!”

Light bursts outward from the archangel, a blinding white halo flooding the void.

“What’s going on?”

Once the domain fully blooms, Yumigawa Nozomi, riding the Aerucia Bird, parts her lips in surprise like a cherry blossom in snow.

All around, everything turns white, like a world bleached by sun and snow.

White radiance, white snow, white orbs and white lances hang everywhere.

The void glows white; snow falls; light-formed blades and spells drift like seeds.

Everything here is woven from light, a world ruled by light-element laws alone.

“So this is a Domain of Laws? Impressive. It can purge every law in ten thousand miles except light.” Shock first; then Senki lets the breath go.

“Hmph. Enough cool commentary. Continue.”

The archangel’s temper frays, like silk snagged by thorns.

With a flick, the hovering light-weapons surge at Senki like a flood.

“Fine. I can’t cast other elements here, but light gets a big boost.”

As she speaks, her rapier gleams white; she lifts it and thrusts, like a ray piercing cloud.

“Light Sword: Judgment of Holy Light!”

A white blaze erupts from her sword, brighter than the domain itself.

The incoming weapons dissolve into light and scatter like mist back into the world.

“Huff... huff...”

Senki breathes shallowly; that move burned through her strength like fire through paper.

“Elyar, let’s go help!”

Seeing Senki panting, Nozomi panics first; then she shakes Elyar’s shoulder hard, like bells in a gale.

“That’ll be hard. In a domain of pure light, half my strength is cut away like shadow at noon.” Elyar shakes her head, helpless, then steels her voice like ice. “Senki still has cards left. I didn’t expect that in a short time, she’d grow strong enough to contend with the Divine Realm.”

“Oh? Really?”

Nozomi’s doubt lingers, but the panic fades like frost in sun.

“Mm-hmm. Relax, Littlesky. Senki will be fine. And if not, I’m still here.” Elyar pats her flat chest with bright confidence, like a drum before battle.

“God King above! Is she even human? In my Domain of Laws, she can still resist—and she’s barely in her twenties!” After that strike, the archangel can’t help but rant, like steam whistling from a kettle.

A spellblade with only SSS peak magic, barely twenty-something, standing in a Divine Realm archangel’s domain.

Not crushed by its laws, and even striking back.

Even with iron nerves, the archangel feels a curse claw up its throat.

No. Her potential is terrifying. She must be erased.

With that thought, the knot in its chest loosens, like a bowstring cut.

It raises its silver-white lance high, spear like moonlight.

“Looks like I have to end you. Take my strongest art!”

Law-power in the domain surges, all of it flooding the lance like a river to sea.

As the power gathers, the lance’s energy spikes; the void shudders like a drumskin in a storm.

Divine Art—Lance of Radiance!

By now, the force roaring off the lance has reached the peak of mid Divine Realm.