Moon Owl clashed midair with the Zone Fifteen Guardian. Though evenly matched, Moon Owl held the upper hand thanks to her spatial power. The Guardian wielded wind with unique mastery, yet struggled to pin down Moon Owl’s elusive form. After mere exchanges, fresh cuts—each a precise slash from Moon Owl’s dagger—marked the Guardian’s body.

Fierce gales tore earth and stone skyward, only for spatial rifts to swallow them whole. Their overwhelming clash forced Aphrodite and her opponents to retreat far from the battlefield.

Invisible wind blades sliced the sky, momentarily splitting the moonlight. Cloaked in swirling air, the Guardian gently clenched a fist before the void—a concentrated blast of wind erupted.

Moon Owl wasn’t there.

Spatial ripples lingered, but she hadn’t emerged. At this rate, the Guardian’s mana would deplete first.

No wonder—a Magic Maiden wielding spatial mana was a formidable solo opponent. Especially for someone who’d only recently ascended to Chapter Three.

Given time, she might have reached the pinnacle of the Order Keepers.

“What a nuisance… To deal with you, I must use the power *they* granted me.”

She released her current seal and began chanting a new incantation.

“What benefit did they offer you?”

Zone Fifteen had always been neutral. This Guardian had upheld that stance. Yet now she stood with the Seekers, blades drawn against the Twelfth District.

“Benefit?”

The Guardian halted her chant but remained battle-ready. Moonlight bathed one side of her face; the other vanished into shadow.

“No benefit at all…”

Her voice trembled slightly. Her mana flickered—unstable for a heartbeat—then steadied. She was Chapter Three, after all.

“Perhaps Zone Fifteen and the Twelfth District grew too distant. Or someone silenced the truth. Do you know? Zone Fifteen… no longer exists.”

*No longer exists.* The words slammed into Moon Owl’s mind, refusing to fade.

“What do you mean… ‘no longer exists’?”

Moon Owl’s voice wavered. A grim realization dawned. Hearing the reply, her composure shattered.

“Literally. It’s an empty shell now…”

The Guardian’s memory drifted back.

That day. A Chapter Three adept appeared abruptly in Zone Fifteen’s city center, a strangely shaped silver Key clutched in her palm.

“Who are you!”

Cloaked in pure white that blocked detection, her identity was hidden—but a faint familiarity tugged at the Guardian.

The hooded figure ignored her. Drew a Wand. Raised it. A massive Magic Cannon tore through the shopping mall.

“What are you doing?! Civilians are inside! This is a crime!”

Words were useless. The Guardian lunged, unlocking her seal. Mana coiled around her. She thrust the “Wind King Barrier” forward.

Unmoved, the figure simply opened her palm. The Key dropped.

“What is that?”

Before she could react, the crater erupted—dense mana and Abyssal Aura surging forth. The earth convulsed like a thrashing beast. Buildings groaned. Dust and debris swirled into a choking haze. Screams, sobs, panic—a cacophony of terror.

A fleshy mass oozed upward, spewing corrosive liquid laced with metallic stench. Acid rain fell. Metal melted. Stone dissolved. Flesh vanished. Murky fluid mingled with blood—unrecognizable.

Wind shielded the Guardian. Bloodshot eyes locked on the hooded figure. She slashed a wind blade. Sidestepped. Effortlessly.

Realizing the gap, she redirected fury at the mass. Chanted. Expanded the “Wind King Barrier” a hundred meters wide. Struck. Two gashes appeared. A trace of joy flickered on her face.

“It works! We can win!”

Then—gone. The wounds vanished. The mass writhed. Liquid fell harder. Hidden citizens splashed. Melted.

“No!!”

Wind blades. Storms. Spears. All futile. Only the first strike left a mark.

*Boom!*

Stone hands erupted from rubble, seizing her limbs. Spikes pressed against her back.

She closed her eyes.

But death didn’t come.

The hooded figure stepped across the void, landed before her, and gently caressed the stone spike.

“I offer you a chance… for Zone Fifteen’s people to live. For *you* to live.”

Hope flickered in despair. Her voice trembled:

“What… do you want me to do?”

“And so I stand here. I know this betrays the Twelfth District. But I have no choice. To survive. To let Zone Fifteen cling to existence… I must raise my blade against you.”

A wind surge shoved Moon Owl back. The Guardian resumed chanting the borrowed incantation.

“Divine mercy, Magic Armor Ritual!”

“O great deity, grant your decree! Let the starry river forge the hall, eternal lamps pave the stairs. We offer aspiration and the Blood of the Earth… Unlock now!”

Invisible wind armor turned pitch black, solidifying. Eerie runes crawled across its surface. The “Wind King Barrier” dissolved, revealing a black longsword veined in crimson.

Moon Owl’s eyes widened. She moved to tear space—but wind was faster. A flick of the blade erected a pure-wind barrier, cutting her off.

“Now… die for Zone Fifteen!!”

“O wind!! With boundless power, tear rifts in space! Freeze time! Unleash your fury… Roar of the Raging Wind. Βρυχηθμός του ανέμου”

Within the contracting barrier, jet-black gales ripped buildings skyward, shredding them to splinters. The wind seized Moon Owl. Razor-sharp air blades pierced skin, flesh, soul.

She heard wails carried on the wind.

Seeing Moon Owl go still, the Guardian raised her hand. The black blade pierced the storm—

—but bloodied eyes snapped open. Space shattered around her, swallowing the blade whole.

“This… is what you see in your heart. The souls of Zone Fifteen’s people, isn’t it?”

Agony seared her soul. This wind cut deeper than flesh. Slowly, she rose. Mana coalesced into a new dagger—the old one shattered by the gale.

“You’re the Twelfth District’s Guardian. You saw those helpless souls. You *understand* my pain! Why resist? Isn’t survival worth it?”

The Guardian hadn’t expected her to rise. In Moon Owl’s eyes gleamed something she’d long lost.

“I must admit… you are a good Guardian.”

“You gave everything for Zone Fifteen.”

“But… you are my enemy now. As the Twelfth District’s Guardian, I *must* protect its people.”

“I will not let you pass—even if I shatter into dust!”

The Guardian threw her head back, laughing hoarsely. Gripped the black sword. Locked eyes with the blood-soaked girl.

“I’m not as strong as you. I don’t want you to die… but you must.”

The black blade tore the void.

Moon Owl raised her palm. Shredded space before her.

“O traveler wandering the cosmos, pause and take pity—rend the void and reality asunder!”

She slipped through the void. Appeared at the Guardian’s side.

The Guardian anticipated the move. Swung her sword in a backhand strike—

—but the blade sank into empty space…