"Still a long way to go—already whining like that? That won't do, Lainess."
As Maschenny openly revealed her sadistic side and curled her lips into a vicious grin, Lainess Zahard felt a chill she had never known before crawl up her spine.
This fear was worse than anything she had ever felt from Yeon Yuhwa Zahard—far worse.
That can't be true! —afraid of that bitch?!
Desperately denying her own terror, Lainess glared at Maschenny with blazing eyes.
Impossible.
There was no way she could be afraid of Maschenny!
"Don't look down on ee!!"
She was still, at least in na, a Princess of Zahard.
Ignoring the blue lightning spear that had pierced straight through her body, Lainess lunged at Maschenny.
Because she moved while still skewered and pinned in place, the torn flesh ripped even wider—but Lainess grit her teeth and endured the agony.
The flas she unleashed surged toward Maschenny with far greater ferocity than ever before.
Maschenny didn't resist.
She didn't dodge.
She allowed herself to be swallowed whole by the flas.
Taking advantage of the opening, Lainess desperately tried to catch her breath.
The Blitz Family is the second-greatest fla-bearing house after the Yeon Family! With this much power, even she should—!
🔥 Fwoooosh—!
In the next instant, Lainess's decisive attack scattered into nothingness—dispersed by shinsu.
Like a candle fla snuffed out by a casual breath.
"…What?"
"Yaaawn—Lainess. Are you done?"
Lainess's pupils shook violently, as if an earthquake had struck.
She hadn't blocked it.
She hadn't evaded it.
She had simply taken it head-on—and was perfectly fine?
"T-This… this is impossible!!"
Lainess scread in denial.
Maschenny looked down at her with glacial eyes.
"The Ten Great Families aren't on the sa level as trash like you. Compared to the Yeon Family's flas, that was barely warm."
Maschenny spread her hands.
Electricity gathered around her palms.
Then—
Multiple lightning spears ford.
Each one radiated far more violent power than the spear that had pierced Lainess earlier.
Seeing Lainess trembling in sheer terror, Maschenny smiled—madness glinting in her eyes.
"Then… my turn, right?"
⚡ Pajijijik—! ⚡
Just as Maschenny flicked her hand to fire—
Lainess suddenly dropped to her knees.
A mont ago, there had still been hatred.
Rage.
Fighting spirit.
Now there was nothing.
She looked like a dog with its tail between its legs.
"M-Maschenny! I surrender! I'll do anything you say—!"
Maschenny stopped mid-motion and tilted her head.
"Oh? Really?"
Hope blood inside Lainess.
I might survive…!
Yes—survival ca first. As long as she lived, there would be another chance.
"Y-Yes! I'll do everything! From now on, I'll join your faction—!"
Maschenny shook her head.
"No. That's not necessary."
She raised a finger and pointed—
Straight at Lainess's mouth.
"Scream better."
"..."
Lainess's face slowly drained of all color.
⚡ Pajijijik—! ⚡
Before she could say a word, the first of fifteen lightning spears shot forward and pierced her body.
The supposedly indestructible body of a Zahard Princess was punctured with ease.
Electricity flooded her nerves.
Pain exploded through her entire being.
"A-Ah—no—KyaaAAAAAAH!! AaaAAAGH!!"
Intoxicated by the sweet scent of blood, Maschenny's smile twisted further.
"There are plenty of spears left, Lainess. I'll save your heart for last."
....
"Hello? Yuhwa? Yeon Yuhwa Zahard? …What? Why won't it connect?"
Lo Po Bia Leta Zahard tapped her pocket in confusion.
After a mont, she gave up on contacting Yuhwa and instead called Lainess.
Beep—
The call connected.
Leta's furrowed brow relaxed.
"Oh, you picked—"
"Leta… please… save m—KYAAAAAAAH!!"
Click.
"..."
The call cut off, leaving only that scream behind.
Leta's expression slowly stiffened.
Sothing felt wrong.
"Activate signal jamming."
"Yes, ma'am."
A Workshop researcher tapped several commands into the floating fortress's controls.
A massive interference field spread outward.
A shinsu do enveloped the entire fortress—a spectacular sight under normal circumstances.
Now, no one had the luxury to admire it.
BOOM—
A heavy, dull impact echoed.
No one present flinched.
They had expected this.
"…So he finally arrived."
BOOM— BOOM—
The impacts grew louder.
Then—
With a violent tremor shaking the fortress, a white explosion tore through the massive gate ahead.
A deafening roar filled the chamber as the gate was obliterated.
From the darkness beyond, a single figure slowly approached.
An Arie.
Wearing a white crown.
A blood-soaked sword resting on his shoulder.
He walked calmly—yet heavily.
White hair.
White face.
White robes—
All stained with the blood of countless Rankers he had slaughtered in just a few short hours.
At last, the white-and-red youth stepped fully into the chamber he himself had opened.
He raised his gaze toward Leta.
Then he spoke.
"Lo Po Bia Leta Zahard."
His voice was gentle—
And filled with boiling rage.
Leta swallowed hard.
"Where is Anna?"
The murderous pressure crushed down on her.
Still, she forced herself to smile casually.
"…Haha. Wanting the clear reward without beating the boss first? Isn't that a little shaless?"
She wiped the cold sweat from her brow and t Hoaquin's gaze.
His killing intent only deepened.
The shinsu itself felt heavier—as if he had claid the space.
His eyes were white.
Yet as they locked onto her, they looked as if they were burning crimson.
"..."
He said nothing.
Slowly—
He shifted the sword on his shoulder.
At the sa ti, Leta hurried to activate the next phase of the plan.
This is where it really begins.
Hoaquin will kneel before . He has to.
"Activate the fishbowl!"
"Yes!"
At her command, every Lo Po Bia Ranker present began manipulating shinsu.
Uuuuuuuung—
A horn-like resonance filled the chamber.
The space itself began to change.
Sensing danger, Hoaquin adjusted his stance to strike.
"Don't play gas—!"
"Hahaha! Too late!"
"Hold him!"
Just before Hoaquin could swing his sword, Leta shouted an incomprehensible phrase.
It wasn't any language that a Pocket—or even Maxess—could translate.
An ancient incantation, a primordial spell.
The mont she uttered it, the floor beneath Hoaquin began to glow.
"…?"
🔥 Fwooom—
Light erupted from the ground, and a spell circle—one that had been drawn long before and carefully concealed—activated at once.
At every intersection of the magic circle, candles ignited simultaneously.
"…!"
Candle of Retribution.
A consumable cursed item that restrains any target that enters the spell circle.
Hoaquin's body froze—as if ti itself had stopped.
Now—!
For the first ti since this battle began, a bright smile appeared on Leta's face.
Hoaquin's body trembled violently, as if it might swing the sword at any mont—but the curse rendered him completely immobile.
This was her chance.
"Pulfur! Begin!"
Lo Po Bia Leta Zahard.
She was born from one of the twenty-two remaining branches of the Lo Po Bia Family—
the Red Elk Branch.
Even among her own branch—no, even compared to the main family—her talent as an Anima was exceptional.
The creature she commanded was a spirit passed down through generations of the Red Elk lineage:
Pulfur.
This beautiful stag, its body blending crimson and blue, possessed a terrifying ability—
It directly assaulted the mind.
ntal attacks were rare.
And lethal.
That alone was one of the reasons Leta had qualified to beco a Princess of Zahard.
And now—
This floating fortress had already been fully converted into her "fishbowl."
A fishbowl amplified the abilities of an Anima's beasts to abnormal levels, reshaping the shinsu environnt to overwhelmingly favor them.
In other words—
This place was beyond a ho field advantage.
And on top of that, dozens of Lo Po Bia Anima Rankers were supporting her.
Everything was perfect.
"KIEEEEEE—!!"
Pulfur let out a grotesque, bone-chilling shriek, unleashing purple lightning toward Hoaquin.
Enhanced by the modified fishbowl, Pulfur's ntal attack had reached an absurd level—strong enough that even Rankers would not withstand it.
⚡ KRAAAASH—!!
Still bound by the curse, Hoaquin could not move.
The lightning struck him directly.
Leta didn't miss the mont his eyes wavered.
There was no doubt—
He had taken massive ntal damage.
No matter how strong you are… you're still a kid who hasn't lived even two centuries.
Compared to beings who had trained their minds over hundreds of years—
Hoaquin was ntally fragile.
Leta stepped forward.
"They say the head of the Lo Po Bia Family could command everything in the Tower—even humans!"
She extended her hand toward Hoaquin.
"And I, Lo Po Bia Leta Zahard, inherited that very talent—the ability to command humans themselves!"
It was a lie.
She didn't truly possess such power.
But the intent was close enough.
Her true talent was damaging the human psyche.
She planned to break Hoaquin's mind beyond repair—
erase it into a blank slate—
Then slowly brainwash him into a loyal servant.
With the support of so many Rankers, reducing one shaken boy into her puppet would be—
"Child's play!"
— Lo Po Bia Anima Art: Marionette
🔥 Fwoooosh—
Invisible threads—seen only by Leta—shot from her fingertips.
They wrapped around Hoaquin's body, entangling him like a puppet.
The power ant to dominate even humans began consuming him.
No matter what happened on the First Floating Fortress—
If she captured Hoaquin, victory was assured.
Shrrrk—
The threads fully enveloped him.
Only then did Leta finally allow herself to laugh.
The Rankers who had been supporting her at full tension relaxed at last.
"Hahahaha! Hahahahahaha! See? Your mind is far weaker than your strength! That's why you fell so easily—how pitiful."
Hoaquin said nothing.
Perfect puppeteering—that was what she believed.
Now he would obey her commands alone.
Victory was already decided.
"Now then—Rankers. Head to the First Floating Fortress and capture Maschenny. Break her limbs. Leave a few here to cage Hoaquin—I'll condition him slowly."
"…You should really think before saying stupid shit."
"…What?"
Every person in the chamber froze.
Everyone—
Except Hoaquin.
He stared at Leta with the sa expression as before.
No—
Even more enraged.
"You've been running your mouth about breaking Maschenny's limbs. I'll tear yours off first and feed you to the shinheuh."
The curse had already expired.
Hoaquin's sword moved freely once more.
The sheer pressure radiating from him crushed even Rankers, leaving them unable to move.
"No—no—no—this can't be happening!!!"
Leta shook her head, refusing to accept reality.
Her face drained of color.
Nothing made sense.
How had he endured Pulfur's ntal attack?
How had he resisted her Anima Art?
What in the world is this boy?!
"That attack was strong enough to break Rankers… this—this is impossible! How—?!"
She scread at him, clutching the railing.
Hoaquin silenced her with a single icy glare.
"Shut up. My head's about to split."
He pointed his sword at her.
"You're staying alive until the end. I want to tear you apart myself."
Leta's face turned ghostly pale.
"Stop him! Kill him! Do sothing!!"
The Rankers rushed him—
Too slow.
White light burst from Baekya, but soaked in blood, his slashes looked crimson.
Then—
Eight swings.
Hoaquin-Style Killing Technique: Eightfold Spirit Severance
Eight slashes.
That was all it took to create hell.
.....
⚡ Pajijijik—
"…Ggh… just… kill …"
The fourteenth lightning spear pierced Lainess.
She no longer had the strength to scream—
her unfocused eyes pleading weakly at Maschenny.
"Hearing that makes want to keep you alive even more. Maybe I should hand you over to Hoaquin…"
As Maschenny toyed with her prey, a sudden unease struck.
She turned sharply.
"…!"
Gone.
Yuhwa was no longer there.
"…Damn."
She'd let her guard down.
Maschenny activated her Pocket.
"All units, scatter and find Yuhwa. She escaped the fortress. Kill any fleeing Rankers on sight."
— Understood.
Blue lightning flashed as Khun Rankers dispersed.
Then—
— Princess!
"…?"
💥 CRASH—!!
The floor beneath Maschenny collapsed.
No—
The entire fortress was collapsing.
Not collapsing—
Exploding.
A deafening roar shook the structure violently.
Maschenny staggered, barely regaining her balance.
"Ghk—!"
💥 BOOOOM—!!
From the lowest level, light and heat erupted outward.
A massive sphere of blue energy expanded, devouring the fortress.
Maschenny tried to escape—
Too late.
The explosion reached her position.
"…!"
Blue light swallowed her.
"Princess!!"
A Ranker rushed forward, deploying a shinsu barrier—
🔥 FWOOSH—!!
The flas erased it instantly.
The colossal explosion consud the floating fortress—
And everything within it.
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