While Night Frost and Azure battled, the Guardian of the Seventh District continued fighting the Mud King.

Moon Owl’s spatial disintegration had been interrupted by Azure. The power binding the Mud King was gone. At this point, only the overwhelmingly powerful Guardian of the Seventh District could withstand all of the Mud King’s attacks alone.

The only Guardians with enough combat strength left were the Fourth, Twelfth, Nineteenth, and the Guardian of the Seventh District herself.

If she didn’t go, who would?

To be honest, she didn’t want to go at all. As a queen, she shouldn’t be on the battlefield. Her people should.

But compared to this Mud King, her people were simply too weak.

Of course, that was only one reason.

The other was that divine power existed within the Mud King. If she could obtain more things related to the gods, the power within her would continue to rise steadily.

And even if she failed to obtain it in the end, if that power fell into Azure’s hands instead, it would still count as repaying Azure a favor.

No matter how she looked at it, she wouldn’t lose.

So she went.

First, she weakened the Mud King with a Magic Cannon designed for annihilation. But she soon discovered that even after being weakened, the Mud King’s strength was still nearly equal to hers.

After devouring the Guardian of Cantata Three, the Mud King was even slightly stronger than her.

Under normal circumstances, the Mud King couldn’t compare to the Guardian of the Seventh District.

But its nearly “immortal” nature, its ability to grow stronger by eating, and the boost from divine power allowed it to shift freely between metal and mud.

All those traits combined into an exceptionally troublesome Monster.

The Guardian of the Seventh District carried a pair of heavy shears. Her attacks were ill-suited to inflicting fatal damage on the Mud King.

After all, scissors were meant to cut materials apart, not grind them into powder. That was a rolling pin’s job.

After devouring a Magic Maiden and gaining a humanoid form, the Mud King had become much faster.

As she fought the Guardian of the Seventh District, she seemed to be learning her opponent’s techniques. Her metal arms transformed into piercing spikes, and her movements now faintly carried the Guardian’s style.

The Guardian of the Seventh District understood it clearly.

The Mud King was learning her movements.

If a Monster already equal to her—or even slightly stronger—fully grasped her techniques, wouldn’t she lose?

No.

Of course not.

A Magic Maiden’s abilities weren’t limited to close-quarters combat!

She began chanting a Magic Spell.

The Mud King stopped as well, watching the Guardian of the Seventh District’s movements.

When the Mud King halted, the Magic Maidens who could still fight all turned their eyes toward her.

Moon Owl was among them.

The woman formed from the Mud King’s body moved her lips slightly. She was clearly chanting something too, but no sound came out.

Anyone with eyes could see it.

The Mud King was imitating the Guardian of the Seventh District.

This was an opportunity.

Moon Owl exchanged a glance with the Guardian of the Third District. The two planned to strike the Mud King while it was distracted.

The Guardian of the Fourth District stood behind them, silently listening to their plan.

Their strategy was simple.

The Guardian of the Third District would support Moon Owl, while Moon Owl would use spatial power to drag part of the Mud King into a sealed space.

“I’ll give you two a hand.”

Just as Moon Owl was about to act, the Guardian of the Fourth District walked over after listening for quite some time.

She intended to offer Moon Owl some assistance.

“I was originally going to remain absolutely neutral. But then I thought about it.”

“If all the Cantata Three Guardians here died, the Fourth District would fall before long.”

“Besides, I’m still the Guardian of the Fourth District.”

The moment she finished speaking, the sound of chains came from behind her.

The chains seemed alive. They whipped and coiled through the air, producing a deep, eerie clatter.

With a single thought from the Guardian of the Fourth District, they shot toward the Mud King.

More than ten years ago, the battle against the Mud King had been long and brutal.

Among the Magic Maidens who fought in that battle was one particular girl.

She had been a member of the Order Keepers and possessed the strength of Cantata Three. She was one of the army’s main forces.

Yet faced with the Mud King’s terrifying power, the Magic Maidens were forced into a bitter struggle.

Even after giving everything they had, they still couldn’t withstand the Mud King’s fierce assault.

At the critical moment, a Magic Maiden who possessed sealing magic stepped forward.

She knew that if things continued like this, they would never defeat the Mud King.

So she decided to use sealing magic and lock down the entire First District.

That day, she exhausted every bit of her spirit and strength.

She manipulated chain after chain, sending them spiraling through the sky above the First District. The chains wrapped around the entire district before becoming invisible.

Not long afterward, she died.

She had exhausted all her Mana. The severe wounds left by the Mud King, combined with the hidden injuries accumulated over many years, erupted all at once.

Her already aged and weakened body suffered one final blow.

In the end, she passed away from those injuries.

She had enjoyed great prestige among the Magic Maidens. Her death was a loss to them all.

That day, every district mourned her.

The Fourth District mourned for seven full days.

She had spent her entire life serving with integrity, devoting everything she had to the Fourth District.

Not wanting to disappoint the people, the Magic Maidens and the government of that time held a grand funeral for her. They also gave her family a generous compensation payment.

After the funeral ended, the Magic Maidens secretly went to her former home and tested her daughter’s magical aptitude.

Her daughter displayed extraordinary magical talent.

What was more, her daughter resonated with her mother’s Magic Stone.

The Magic Stone chose her.

She lived up to her talent and everyone’s expectations. She became a Magic Maiden, joined the Order Keepers, reached Cantata Three, and became the Guardian of the Fourth District.

But truthfully, the Guardian of the Fourth District couldn’t say she liked Magic Maidens.

She didn’t like the Order Keepers either.

That had something to do with her mother.

Her mother had died, and that very night, they had come to test her aptitude.

They had clearly hoped she would take her mother’s place.

Her mother’s final wish had been:

【I’ll support you no matter what you choose. You may inherit my path and become a Magic Maiden, or you may live an ordinary life. But remember this: if you become a Magic Maiden, don’t get too involved with those people.】

The Guardian of the Fourth District became a Magic Maiden for no other reason than this:

She wanted to walk the road her mother had once taken.

She also followed her mother’s words at all times, refusing to become too involved with the other Magic Maidens.

Absolute neutrality.

That was how the Guardians of the other districts described the Guardian of the Fourth District.

Moon Owl looked toward her.

Absolute neutrality?

She simply didn’t want to get involved in the other districts’ trash.

But if the safety of the people was at stake, she would still cooperate.

Compared to those people from the other districts, she truly was absolutely neutral.

That much was undeniable.

The chains charged toward the Mud King, scraping, colliding, and rattling with a loud clatter.

Just as they had more than ten years ago, they wrapped around the Mud King’s true body.

Circle after circle of chains swallowed the last trace of light before its eyes.

The Mud King, encased in chains, released a muffled growl from the center of its chest.

That roar coming from such a pretty girl’s face created a rather strange mismatch of styles…

The Mud King recalled what had happened more than ten years ago.

Back then, it had been eating hot pot and singing happily when the chains suddenly locked it away.

And now, that scene was happening all over again.

Who would want to be sealed for another ten years?!

Ten years!

Did anyone know how the Mud King had survived those ten years?

It didn’t want to be sealed again.

The Mud King was far stronger than these chains now. Its arms transformed into spikes, and a single strike pierced through the chains.

With its other hand, it forced the chains upward through the gap.

Chain after chain scraped against its palm, throwing off sparks.

Cold sweat appeared on the forehead of the Guardian of the Fourth District.

She knew that, with her strength, she couldn’t seal the Mud King in its current state.

But this was enough.

She had already bought them enough time.

Moon Owl shattered the surrounding space.

This space was even sturdier than the temporary one she had opened before.

The Guardian of the Seventh District had also been storing up Abyssal Aura for quite some time.

To deal with the Mud King, she naturally wouldn’t let this opportunity slip away.

“The flowers, wind, moon, and snow in my eyes—turn into the most beautiful robes and drape yourselves over my body!”

“Let all things attain myriad forms! Let all things display myriad forms!”

“Variation: Rest!”

The shears in the Guardian of the Seventh District’s palm exploded apart and spread across her body.

They clashed sharply with the Abyssal Aura swirling around her.

“Next…”

Light flowed across the surface of her body.

A gorgeous crimson gown unfolded over her figure. Its exaggerated hem fluttered slightly in the breeze, like a beautiful rose in full bloom.

Ribbons wrapped around both her arms.

Unfortunately, Night Frost and Azure were locked in such an intense battle that neither of them noticed the Guardian of the Seventh District donning her Crimson Magic Armor.

“Feel the might of the heavens!”

“I pour out all the blood of my heart!”

“Sever mountains and rivers!”

“Shatter fallen stars!”

“Support the collapsing beams!”

“Hold up the sinking sky—”

“One!”

“Ten!”

“A hundred!”

“A thousand!”

A crimson-colored sphere of energy condensed in the Guardian of the Seventh District’s palm.

It carried all her strength and an arrogant, overwhelming might.

She drew a deep breath, then imitated the figure in her mind and released every bit of that power through her fist.

At the same time, on the battlefield next door, the six-colored Magic Cannon exploded.

The two attacks flew in completely opposite directions.

Two enormous pillars of light merged into one, tearing up and annihilating every inch of ground beneath them.

A surging wave of heat struck their faces, only to be suppressed by acid rain falling from the heavens.

The terrified Magic Maidens stared blankly at everything below them.

Then Azure’s laughter reached their ears.

“I defeated a dragon all by myself!”

“Crimson… you saw that, right?!”

“This is the power I command now!”

The Guardian of the Seventh District looked toward the space she had pierced through.

The Mud King was nowhere to be seen.

She didn’t believe the restrained Mud King had possessed any means of escape.

That final, all-out punch of hers must have completely shattered the Mud King’s core.

They had won.

The external threat had been eliminated.

Next came the internal matter.

Azure and the Guardian of the Seventh District’s gazes fell on Moon Owl at the same time.

Moon Owl swallowed.

She and the Guardian of the Third District took a step back.

Before coming here, she had already prepared herself mentally.

After dealing with the Mud King, they would turn their blades toward her!

Moon Owl’s Mana was completely exhausted.

She was powerless to continue the battle.

“You’re truly shameless.”

“Hand over the Key, and we’ll let you go.”

The Guardian of the Seventh District spoke.

“You two… aren’t you celebrating a little too early?”