Hidden beneath the soil and shielded by a meticulously laid concealed Array Pattern, Night Frost and Moon Owl snapped to alertness the moment the sudden figure appeared—like startled wild beasts.
A silhouette emerged as if from a frozen realm. Her snow-white cloak fluttered gently in the wind, pristine and frigid as winter’s final snowflake.
The figure overlapped perfectly with a memory seared deep in the Zone Fifteen Guardian’s heart—the very culprit who once brought ruin and despair, now standing before her again.
Beneath the pure white cloak, the Magic Maiden slowly raised her wand, aiming at Moon Owl, who was tightly restraining the Mud King. Eliminating Moon Owl, she reasoned, would drastically ease the conquest of the Twelfth District and the retrieval of the Key.
Rage ignited within the Zone Fifteen Guardian like a volcano—unbearable, immediate.
Gripping the Wind King Barrier, she charged toward the destroyer of Zone Fifteen.
But barely had she advanced when a Magic Cannon erupted from the Magic Maiden’s wand, streaking straight for Moon Owl. Its power was formidable; striking the utterly defenseless Moon Owl would mean certain death.
“What a nuisance!”
The Guardian cursed inwardly. She pivoted instantly—not toward the Magic Maiden, but straight for Moon Owl, riding the wind beneath her feet.
Chanting a Magic Spell, she wove mana and wind into a spiraling vortex of air that shot toward the incoming cannon.
The invisible wind vortex collided midair with the Magic Cannon. Sparks exploded. A shockwave rippled through the atmosphere.
Onlookers froze. Their eyes locked onto the Zone Fifteen Guardian and the white-cloaked Magic Maiden. No one expected the Guardian—missing nearly a month—to reappear… and intercept a fatal blow meant for Moon Owl.
This made no sense. Zones Fifteen and Twelve never interfered due to clashing ideologies. Why protect Moon Owl now?
Those who understood stayed silent. But the less informed—like the Zone Nineteen Guardian—stared upward and demanded:
“Azure, what are you doing?!”
Azure said nothing. She lowered her hood, revealing one cheek etched with deep blue Array Patterns. Her gaze swept the crowd. *This attempt failed. The next will be harder.*
*Moon Owl must die today. Or the Twelfth District—with its space-traversing power—will remain unconquerable.*
From her Spatial Box, Azure retrieved a Magic Stone, slotted it into the mechanical device on her right thigh, then loaded another into her specialized wand.
*Crack!* The conical mechanism struck the stone—a sound like shattering glass. Mana surged to the tip of her Magic Armor, coalescing within half a breath into a semi-transparent Magic Cannon.
Just as she prepared to fire—a figure landed behind her. Scaled dragon claws clamped her throat. A voice, deceptively light yet thick with hatred and fury, whispered:
“Found you~”
Night Frost recognized the white-cloaked Magic Maiden instantly—a familiar irritation flared. When Azure revealed the mechanical device on her leg, the image fused with a memory:
—the roaring Black Dragon, the blue figure in the sky raising her wand, firing the Magic Cannon at Night Frost and her mother. *The architect of her sorrow. The murderer of her parents.*
Rage erupted like a volcano. She uttered, “Release the Seal.” Black scales sheathed her arms. Like a cannonball, she circled behind Azure.
“Chapter Three… No. You’re a dragon!”
The black scales radiated a hauntingly familiar aura. Azure’s mind flashed back eleven years—to the Black Dragon’s final roar:
*“You all deserve to die!!”*
The Black Dragon had returned. Weaker, yet still radiating invincibility. Those scales could deflect her Magic Cannon effortlessly.
*This won’t do…*
Azure raised her wand to detonate the cannon and escape. Simple attacks were useless now. Only extremes remained.
“Detonate!”
Light blinded Night Frost. As she shut her eyes, Azure’s aura surged. Ink-black clouds swallowed the sky.
The Zone Fifteen Guardian watched, a familiar dread stirring. She remembered Zone Fifteen shrouded in those same clouds… acid rain eating the land. The memory felt yesterday.
The Zone Nineteen Guardian and other Chapter Three Guardians stepped back. Three forces here surpassed Chapter Three’s limits: the Mud King, the Guardian of the Seventh District, and Azure. All had reached the Ultimate realm.
After securing Moon Owl and the Zone Three Guardian, the Zone Fifteen Guardian stood beside Night Frost. She would not flee—even against an Ultimate foe.
“I’m not who I was either… Black Dragon!”
Azure raised her palm. Mana churned. With a sweep, the sky tore open. Ominous energy swirled in the dark clouds.
Acid rain poured like a deluge. Each drop hissed on impact, scarring the earth instantly.
The Guardian knew this corrosion well. She summoned wind—not to flee, but to divert the rain. A wall of air formed, halting the downpour like a giant palm.
But Azure shattered another Magic Stone. A new cannon shot straight for the Guardian’s face.
Midair, Night Frost beat her jet-black wings, Crimson Gold Lance aimed at Azure’s chest. Azure, now wary, swept her hand over her thigh device. Mana erupted, forming layered shields.
“Mage’s Hand, load!”
One hand held the wand. One guarded Night Frost. A third, conjured from mana, pulled a dark yellow Magic Stone from her box. Azure hesitated—then smiled with quiet resolve. *To ascend, nothing is beyond sacrifice.*
That split-second lapse weakened the cannon and shields. The Zone Fifteen Guardian split the blast with Wind King Barrier. Night Frost shattered the shields. Her lance, wreathed in CrimsonGoldFlame and Black Flame, pierced toward Azure’s heart.
“O World, with your vast arms, raise an unbreakable wall… O World, with your fury, awaken earth’s calamity!”
The stone shattered. A colossal mana surge erupted. A faint girl’s silhouette rose from the fragments—confusion, shock, then bitter resentment.
“Azure!!!”
The specter roared with undying hatred. Azure waved a hand. The image vanished.
Earth surged. Acid-scarred soil reshaped, encasing Azure, Night Frost, and the Zone Fifteen Guardian in separate earthen shells—dense, unyielding.
Night Frost burned the damp soil with flame. It only hardened. The Guardian slashed with wind blades—leaving only a shallow scar. Neither could break free.
“O discarded past of ages! Become my aspiration—coalesce in my palm: Spiral Sonata, Legato!”
Inside her shell, Azure loaded stone after stone. Her wand, straining under accumulating mana, held firm through sheer will.
*One stone won’t break dragon scales. Two… three… four… Keep loading. Reach the threshold. Surpass the limit four once shared.*
She named it:
“Multi-Element Saturation Barrage—Six-Color Forbidden Solo!”
The beam devoured the earthen shells and all within. Six colors blazed across the sky. Where it passed, air incinerated. Vacuum followed.
Like islands swallowed by a tidal wave, the shells vanished into radiant light.
Azure hovered, gazing at the scorched void. Heat surged—quenched by falling acid rain. Below, no trace of Night Frost or the Zone Fifteen Guardian remained.
“I defeated the dragon alone, Crimson… Do you see it now? This power—I hold it myself!”
