As the saying goes, whatever you do, never provoke a woman in the midst of her rage.
Otherwise, you might end up just like the insect before Sora.
Just as pitiful…
Indeed, "pitiful" was the only suitable word Sora could find for the unfortunate Swarm King that had suddenly appeared before him.
Originally, its body had been slender and agile, reminiscent of a praying mantis. Now, however, Titania had already torn off its crystal-like forelimbs, casually tossing them aside.
The silver-white carapace covering its body had cracked under a relentless storm of fists, countless fissures sprawling across its surface.
Even the armor, which boasted the strongest defenses, had shattered—let alone the vulnerable flesh beneath!
Flesh torn apart, blood scattering into space…all of this was just the beginning. Under Titania's ceaseless onslaught, Sora personally witnessed the transformation of a proud Swarm King into re pulp.
Punch after endless punch hamred rcilessly into the insect's battered body, each strike producing dazzling effects strong enough to pulverize nearby asteroids.
Sora watched as, bit by bit, the Diabolical Swarm King's massive body was consud by miniature black holes.
Every blow opened another unstable black hole upon its flesh. Though each was fleeting, vanishing quickly after it ford, each one still tore away great chunks of the creature's body.
It was clear Titania hadn't fully mastered the technique of artificially creating black holes.
But that hardly mattered—imperfect or not, the black holes were more than enough to annihilate her opponent.
By the ti it ended, barely one-tenth of the Diabolical Swarm King's once-imnse form remained, reduced to just its upper half.
Almost every other part had vanished, leaving only its head desperately screaming into the void.
Every Swarm King was personally fragnted from Tazzyronth itself, granting each incredible vitality.
This imnse vitality allowed them to survive even if nothing but a head remained.
But now, that very strength had beco a curse.
By this point, Sora sensed that Titania's mood had gradually stabilized.
"Let's finish this pest off," Titania said coldly.
After venting her earlier jealousy and rage, she'd finally returned to a state of icy calmness.
But she had no intention of letting the Swarm King escape.
She knew better than anyone the terrifying resilience of Tazzyronth's Emanators. If left alive, even as a re head, it would completely regenerate within half a day.
This was the regenerative capability possessed by a Swarm King—even with less than a third of its original strength.
"Do as you like," Sora responded indifferently.
He twisted the lever, the golden-engraved trigger above clicking rhythmically.
Blue-gold flas wreathed his right leg. Standing motionless in the cosmos, his re presence radiated an oppressive force.
Seemingly sensing its inevitable death, the Diabolical Swarm King opened its mouth, using an ability that wasn't even its own.
'[READY, GO! MUSCLE GALAXY FINISH!!]'
The hallucinatory powder—once the Deceiver Swarm King's defensive move—was unleashed desperately.
But even this couldn't slow the approaching figure.
This ti, they didn't use a black hole jump. Instead, the kick smashed directly into the wall of shimring powder ant to halt them.
It proved utterly futile. Even without spatial jumps, nothing could block Sora's strike.
Those hallucination powders parted easily before the blue-gold fla like butter lting before a hot knife.
The desperate defense lasted re seconds before completely shattering beneath Sora's kick.
His foot brutally slamd into the Diabolical Swarm King's face, eliciting a spray of blood. The insect simply couldn't comprehend how things had turned out this way.
It had carefully prepared for so long, deliberately waiting until its opponent was weakened after creating a black hole jump.
It had patiently stalked him, waiting for the perfect distraction.
With those conditions t, shouldn't victory have been inevitable?
Its anguished thought hissed desperately:
Then why…why did things turn out this way…?!
But before it could finish, the black hole rcilessly swallowed it whole.
Golden patterns shimred briefly across Sora's armor—he felt slightly stronger after consuming the Swarm King's remnants.
Yet after the battle ended, Sora remained floating alone in the void.
No footholds remained. Nearby asteroids had already turned to dust under the countless shockwaves of battle.
Silence consud the vast emptiness of space.
All that remained was a solitary figure, staring at a distant, lonely planet.
One after another, starships landed back on the now-desolate surface of Tartaro. Those erging looked sowhat translucent, unreal.
So wore expressions of frustration, others indifference.
All were moria bodies imbued with Titania's power, thus unable to leave the vicinity.
Once off their ships, they imdiately lifted their gazes skyward.
High above, a figure slowly descended from space toward the planet.
A white-gold figure, skirt billowing dramatically in the fierce wind, looked impossibly noble yet wildly arrogant.
Boom!
The figure crashed to the ground without any slowing or protection, scattering massive clouds of dust.
Light flashed briefly within the cloud, and as the dust settled, two distinct figures appeared.
Hmm? Two?
Not just the moria—Sora himself stared blankly at the person beside him.
Wait…this isn't right.
Next to him stood a woman, half a head shorter than himself. Her long silver-and-black hair fluttered gracefully in the breeze.
Her figure wasn't explosively curvy, but still generous enough in all the right places.
She wore clothing remarkably similar to Sora's own. These masculine garnts lent her a surprisingly heroic air.
"What're you staring at? It's not like you haven't seen before," a familiar voice rang out confidently from her lips.
Without a doubt, this was Titania.
"It seems that after devouring two Swarm Kings, I've finally transitioned from a pure moria form into a real physical body."
She experintally shifted back and forth between solid and intangible forms. Titania's expression hardly changed at all.
This should've been joyous news. A single being capable of freely shifting between moria and physical form was surely unique in the entire universe.
Yet not even the thrill of finally obtaining a body could dispel the lingering fury and despair in her heart.
"Anyway, it's still a good thing," Sora began examining himself carefully, searching for any signs of change.
It made no sense—Titania had obviously gained such an incredible ability, but had he himself really gotten nothing?
Unfortunately, despite his search, Sora couldn't detect any changes at all.
It appeared he'd genuinely gained nothing from the experience.
"Hey, hey, hey—you didn't just secretly keep all the benefits to yourself, did you?" Frustrated, he confronted Titania.
But she only gave a contemptuous sneer and shook her head slowly: "Idiot."
With that, she disappeared from sight, dissolving into moria to spread across the entire planet.
"Hey! Did you seriously just insult ?!" Sora shouted indignantly at the empty air. "You'd better explain yourself clearly!"
What kind of partner did sothing like this? How could she just hog every benefit herself?!
"Anyone who cooperates with you again in the future is truly the universe's biggest fool!"
Nearby, Fenille watched helplessly as Sora continued yelling at empty space, shaking her head softly.
People began gradually dispersing. Titania had instructed them to gather later, as there were matters to discuss.
They couldn't resist Titania's commands—the Propagation Aeon's power embedded in their bodies strictly governed their moria forms.
...
Sora discovered quickly that if soone wanted to hide, you truly couldn't catch them.
Now, the planet was empty of all other inhabitants, leaving Sora to wander alone through the deserted cityscape, savoring this solitary apocalypse.
Only when the omnipresent moria gradually reford into human shape beside him did he finally see Titania again.
"Our cooperation ends here," she announced bluntly upon appearing.
Though their cooperation had lasted less than three days, circumstances forced this abrupt end.
"Yeah, yeah. I know," Sora waved impatiently.
Their alliance had depended upon leaving safely together. Now, since Titania couldn't escape, naturally their cooperation dissolved.
"Still," Sora continued thoughtfully, "do you know who exactly trapped you here?"
Only an Aeon could accomplish such a feat.
As for why Sora wanted that Aeon's identity—
He absolutely couldn't forgive anyone who treated life so callously.
"I have no idea. But how surprising, that you actually care about this," Titania remarked, now smiling faintly. "Shouldn't you be thrilled if I die here?"
Their earlier agreent had destined their cooperation to end in a deadly clash anyway.
Now, with her fate apparently sealed, shouldn't Sora be celebrating?
"Two sides bearing Tazzyronth's na, forced into this arena to slaughter one another," Titania stated dryly, the absurdity of it eliciting bitter amusent in her voice.
"What a fascinating spectacle. I'm sure countless beings would love to watch this scenario unfold."
"Those outside won't fear the swarm spreading. A new cosmic threat extinguished before it even blossoms."
"How delightful it all is, don't you think?"
"What's delightful about it?" Sora interrupted sharply.
Titania stared, montarily stunned.
"What's so amusing about this? How little do you value life—do you think even your own existence is a joke?"
Titania t his gaze in disbelief.
Had Sora actually spoken those words? Shouldn't he be mocking, clapping in joy over her misfortune?
"Do you even realize what you're saying?" Titania demanded softly.
"Of course I do," Sora replied calmly. "I'm simply angry at those who treat life as a plaything."
Titania's voice trembled slightly. "You an…you want to survive?"
If that were true, then she…
"No," Sora imdiately cut her off.
"You want to live—that's just life's natural instinct. But you've hard others, and I've always opposed that."
"We're mortal enemies. If you threaten others, I'll always stand against you."
"But I'll never deny the aning of your existence itself."
Titania stood frozen, speechless.
Finally, a quiet smile surfaced on her lips.
"So, in the end…you still plan to kill with your own hands?"
"Of course. That was the last condition of our cooperation."
"Then co at ..."
Sora froze, staring at Titania in disbelief. "You an right now?"
"Yes," Titania replied softly, stepping closer and placing her finger beneath Sora's chin. "Our cooperation ended long ago, didn't it? Now that it's over, it's ti to settle the matter between just the two of us."
Sora furrowed his brows. He couldn't figure out what Titania was thinking.
With external threats rapidly closing in, she was actually choosing to fight him now?
Had she lost her mind?
"That black hole you created can last one more day at most," Titania inford him coolly. "aning you have exactly one day left here."
Her voice beca chillingly decisive. "When the day is up, that hole will close completely. If you're still here then, you'll inevitably be swallowed by the swarm."
"You're no fool—you already know what choice you should make."
Sora knew better than anyone. Back when they first t, his instinctual urge to survive had made him evade Titania's first contact.
That survival instinct was precisely why they'd beco enemies in the first place.
"So, make your decision: fight here until the end, or obediently retreat."
Titania stood patiently, awaiting Sora's answer.
From her words, Sora finally understood her intentions clearly.
She had a certain desire—so purpose behind these provocative words.
Was she searching for aning in her own existence?
Dying at the hands of the swarm or dying by Sora's hand were fundantally different things.
"Then my choice is obvious! I'll fight you until the very end!"
Seeing Sora make his decision, Titania laughed happily, "Hahaha! That's exactly why you're so fascinating!"
Then her body dissolved into a blazing streak of light, instantly appearing before him.
Boom!
A powerful punch landed directly in Sora's abdon, devastatingly heavy.
What?! Sora coughed up a mouthful of sour bile.
"The mont you agreed, the fight already began!" Titania said ruthlessly.
Sora's body uncontrollably flew backward into the sky, Titania transforming into a streak of light, instantly following.
"You…you actually launched a sneak attack!" Sora gritted his teeth against the pain, his Driver instantly materializing at his waist.
Titania's sudden assault caught him completely off guard. But now that she'd started this battle, he couldn't stop it.
"You brought this on yourself!" Sora pulled out the [Fullbottle] and the gold-engraved trigger.
'[MACHO FEVER!]'
'[MUSCLE GALAXY! RIDER SYSTEM! EVOLUTION!]'
But in that very instant, countless moria flooded around him, instantly filling every slot in his [Driver].
"Your transformation takes far too long!"
Titania displayed astonishing tactical wisdom!
She had fused with Sora before—of course she knew his greatest weakness!
If he failed to combine those items successfully, he was little more than ordinary flesh and bone!
"This is the end!"
Titania swung a brutal kick at him. Sora barely crossed his arms defensively, enduring the colossal force behind it.
But this sensation felt oddly familiar.
Hadn't he been kicked exactly like this before...?
A massive surge of power erupted, sending Sora plumting straight down into the ground below.
Boom!
His impact kicked up clouds of dust. Clenching his teeth, Sora staggered upright once more.
"Dammit, why…?"
Wasn't this situation supposed to be his guaranteed victory scenario? Titania, you absolute jerk!
Fortunately, his [Idealistic Power's] evolution and his ceaselessly pounding heart still kept him standing!
He drew out his [Magma Knuckle], ready to go another round with her!
But suddenly, soone rushed in from the side and jabbed a syringe into his neck.
"It's ti to sleep now, Mr. Sora," Fenille smiled gently, pressing down slowly on the plunger.
"Fenil…le…?" Why are you here?
Before he could finish, the potent drug swiftly coursed through his veins.
Sora's body lurched forward uncontrollably, quickly surrounded and supported by the swirling moria.
"What astonishing physical resilience! Looks like using the extra-strength sedative was the right call," Fenille marveled, impressed by Sora's endurance.
This tranquilizer could knock out monstrous beasts; even the slightest dose would render a normal human unconscious instantly—but Sora had briefly resisted.
"Put Sora into a dical pod to treat his injuries. Take him away when your father sends over the weapons shipnt. Out of sight, out of mind," Titania instructed coldly as she descended gracefully from above.
This is my business. It has nothing to do with you…idiot.
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