"Tch..."

Rayelle frowned at the blood-mist figure, yanking Chriss behind her in one swift motion.

Though it looked gaseous, this thing was no longer solid matter—her physical attacks would be useless.

And Aerin was watching nearby. Rayelle dared not unleash her Extraordinary Power.

Her ability was far too rare. Using it openly before Aerin would be like shouting *"I'm Rigmore!"* straight in her face.

Rigmore—the infamous evil dragon.

Even if saving Chriss was the goal, Rayelle feared exposure. Aerin might lock her up... and toy with her in all sorts of ways.

But holding back meant certain defeat. This Third Rank entity, corrupted and amplified, was no alleyway thug.

No time to hesitate.

Rayelle sprang forward, slammed her fist into the ground with all her might—

**BOOM!**

Tremendous force shattered the earth. The ground rippled like a pond struck by boulders.

A deafening roar shook the world. Shockwaves blasted outward, hurling onlookers meters away.

A ten-meter crater yawned where Rayelle stood—two meters deep, ringed by a three-meter earthen wall. Dust choked the air, sealing the battlefield from view.

Even Aerin couldn’t see inside.

*Not enough.*

"Hah! Little one, what’s this? It won’t work on me!"

The mist-figure laughed, phasing through the earthen barrier. It lunged for Chriss, dripping arrogance.

Rayelle ignored him.

She opened her mouth wide—

Dazzling white light erupted from the air, swirling into her throat. It crackled, coalescing into a searing orb of pure energy.

*What—?!*

Before he could react, Rayelle roared.

The orb erupted as Dragon Breath—a torrent of raw power surging toward the blood-mist!

**KRA-KOOOOOM!**

She’d restrained it to finger-thin streams, yet the blast flattened half the street.

Aerin sensed the cataclysm. Golden light flared from her sword, shielding the trapped crowd from the backlash.

*Good.* Dragon Breath was pure energy—Aerin would mistake it for exotic magic. Its chaotic wake would mask Rayelle’s own power.

Smoke blocked sight. Turbulent mana scrambled senses.

*Perfect.*

"Ghk... This won’t kill me!"

The mist-figure held human shape, but thinned visibly. Enraged, it grinned wildly, surging toward Chriss.

Her aura resonated with his—dense, potent Extraordinary Power.

*Devour her. Become invincible.*

Even after feasting along the way, nothing compared to *this* prize.

*Hers will make me unstoppable—even against that silver-haired girl and this fluffy white-haired brat!*

Triumph gleamed in his eyes.

"Touch Chriss," Rayelle snarled, blocking his path, amber fury blazing in her gaze, "and I’ll tear you apart."

He sneered. That white light had stung—*barely*. His mist-body couldn’t be fully destroyed!

This frail girl? Tear *him* apart?

"Foolish child. Don’t be a fool. You can’t even touch me." His voice dripped contempt. "After I devour that one, you’re next."

He phased through her—

***CRACK!***

—only to have his throat seized by Rayelle’s small, solid hand.

"*Ghk?! How—IMPOSSIBLE!*"

He choked, eyes bulging at the pale fingers gripping his intangible form.

*This makes no sense!*

Rayelle’s lips curled. Her power overrode reality—solid, spirit, mist—*obey*.

"Chriss is *mine*," she hissed. "*You* don’t get to touch her."

She crushed his throat downward—

***CRUNCH!***

Like shattering glass, the mist-figure screamed, ripped into crimson shards. A grotesque rain of fragments sprayed the crater.

At the last instant, the shrieking mass solidified—twisted flesh squelching, reknitting into human shape. Regeneration fought her power.

Rayelle released her grip.

His healing was too fast. As a mere First Rank against a corrupted Third Rank, she couldn’t sustain the effect. A war of attrition would kill her.

*But now he’s solid. Easier to break.*

She exploded forward—a white blur—fist aimed at his skull.

Wind shrieked around her knuckles.

Sensing the tearing effect fade, the armored man frantically misted again—

—and Rayelle reignited her power mid-lunge.

"***AAAAAGH!***"

His scream tore through the crater as his form snapped back to solidity.

Mist amplified pain. The tearing agony was unbearable.

*Never mist again. Never.*

Terror rooted deep in his soul.

***WHAM!***

Rayelle’s tiny fist smashed into his face.

The sonic boom ripped up cobblestones. Cracks spiderwebbed across the earth.

The armored man grunted, becoming a blur as he rocketed backward—

—smashing through a dozen buildings before embedding himself in a distant wall. A long smear of blood marked his path.

Rubble crashed. Dust swallowed the ruins.

Silence.

Then—mad laughter echoed from the smoke.

"AHAHA... Fierce little thing! But... *not enough!*"

Rayelle clenched her fists.

*Tough bastard.*

She’d expected nothing less. Third Rank Extraordinary Beings weren’t like Second Rank.