The fresh air of nature, the gentle breeze caressing the grass, the birds singing in harmony—many aspects found only in the purest environments.

  Blue lakes. Blue skies. Forests stretching far and wide, and a sea glittering faintly on the horizon.

  Yivern’s confusion reached new heights. It felt out of place, as if the entire place rejected its very existence.

  It stretched a hand forward, reaching for the wall it had smashed into.

  It’s not here!

  Shock painted Yivern’s face as its fingers failed to find any solid surface.

  As mist gathered a short distance away from the Devourer, Olivia emerged from it, a warm smile on her face as her eyes settled on the scenery.

  “How do you like my home? Nice, isn’t it?” Her voice was gentle, memories tied to this land surfacing in her mind.

  “Though a monster like yourself would never understand.” Her expression sharpened, eyelids lowering halfway as a cold glare replaced her warmth.

  Blade in hand, she lifted her arm and pointed the tip of her weapon directly at her enemy.

  “I’ll leave your mind wondering whether this sight is illusion or reality.” She smiled beneath her intimidating gaze. “It doesn’t matter anyway. I will strike you down in this very place.”

  Yivern’s instincts surged in full force. Dragging one leg behind to support its injured body, it braced itself.

  Olivia leaped forward, closing the distance in a single breath. Holding the blade sideways, she slashed toward its hip, intent on cleaving the Devourer in two.

  Yivern raised its wings to block the assault, sparks erupting with every impact.

  After the third strike, Olivia stepped back, lowered her stance, and slashed diagonally upward from below the waist.

  Standing its ground, Yivern defended while observing, analyzing her movements in search of a weakness.

  Again, after the third strike, Olivia stepped back and inhaled deeply. This time, she lifted her arms above her head, the blade held flat overhead, almost invisible against the sky.

  The incoming downward strike made Yivern shudder as it leaned back on its leg to steady itself.

  “Hah!” A determined battle cry left her lips as she lunged forward, eyes sharp, fingers clenched tightly around the hilt.

  At the last possible second, Yivern brought its arms up and crossed its wings in defense.

  CLING

  The impact drove Yivern’s supporting foot deeper into the earth.

  “Kh!” Olivia grit her teeth, pouring all her strength into her arms, abandoning any restraint as cracks spread beneath both her feet and Yivern’s.

  Feeling the overwhelming pressure bearing down on its wings, the Devourer abruptly shifted tactics.

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  From observer—

  —to attacker.

  Feathers detached from its wings, drifting into the air as though guided by an unseen will.

  At a single thought, they began to circle Olivia, forcing her to weaken her assault.

  Two feathers flashed from opposite sides, moving at breathtaking speed as they slashed toward her.

  Olivia shoved herself backward using her blade, narrowly evading the razor-sharp edges.

  Yivern spread its wings wide, its glare no longer shaken.

  Shock had given way to awareness.

  It understood now: to unravel her power, it had to bring her down first.

  That became its priority.

  To hell with analysis.

  This one-sided exchange would end soon.

  At its core, Yivern was a monster—one that lacked true critical thought. Mimicking Rakia and using her knowledge had only ever been a pastime, something to enjoy while waiting for its next meal.

  As Olivia adjusted her stance once more, Yivern mirrored her.

  For a brief moment, they stared at one another, both weighing the cost of every movement yet to come.

  As a flock of birds flew overhead, it signaled the start of their deadly clash.

  Feathers began to rain from the sky in great numbers.

  Olivia stood her ground, her blade held tightly in both hands.

  She blocked the first of countless feathers, then shifted her posture and countered the second.

  With almost impossible reaction speed, she intercepted every attack that crossed her path.

  But this display of control came at a cost.

  Avoiding vital organs meant sacrificing less important areas of her body.

  Cuts bloomed across her arms and legs—some shallow, others deep—quickly marring her once-spotless skin.

  Yivern watched her struggle with a smile before taking a step forward and joining the onslaught.

  It flattened its left hand and lunged, aiming straight for her throat.

  Forced to prioritize the feathers, Olivia snapped her head toward the Devourer, her expression one of pure shock.

  …

  Or so she feigned.

  Releasing her left hand from the blade’s hilt, she thrust it toward Yivern.

  Mid-attack, the Devourer could not halt its momentum.

  A shield of water burst forth from Olivia’s palm, large enough to block the incoming strike.

  SPLASH

  Yivern grimaced as it fell into the trap, its hand embedded in the barrier, unable to pull free.

  At the same time, Olivia deflected the remaining feathers with her blade, batting aside the few that slipped through.

  Then it noticed.

  Lifting its gaze, Yivern saw the feathers suspended within spheres of water, sealed away from its control.

  Gritting its teeth, it pulled with every ounce of strength its body could muster, trying to free the hand trapped in Olivia’s grasp.

  “Are you…” She tilted her head, a dangerous smile curling her lips. “Attempting to leave me?”

  Her fingers closed.

  A sharp, shattering snap echoed as Yivern’s hand fell to the ground.

  Fingers twitched as blood seeped through the severed wound, soiling the grass in crimson.

  Staggering backward, Yivern clutched its blood-gushing wrist, wrath blazing in its eyes. For a moment, Rakia’s face twisted—something far less human behind the mask.

  It did not scream.

  It did not cry.

  It felt only disrespect.

  Its conceit held firm, still convinced Olivia was nothing more than a schemer.

  “You see, Yivern…” Olivia stared at her hand—the same one that had snapped its wrist moments earlier.

  “I’m a frigid person.”

  A crushing pressure erupted from her body as her expression darkened completely.

  “I have no qualms removing the obstacles in my way. I’ve done this for as long as I can remember.”

  Her dark aura spilled into the blade she held. The wind died instantly. Even the distant birds fell silent.

  “I killed many to reach this point. Out of my darling’s wives, I am the most ruthless.” She stepped forward. “While I only killed those who claimed innocent lives...”

  “I never enjoyed it.” She grinned under the veil of darkness.

  Olivia vanished.

  Yivern clenched its teeth, scanning wildly in every direction.

  “Do you enjoy killing innocents?”

  The whisper was all it heard before a surge of icy agony ran up its spine.

  Its right wing fell to the ground in a loud thud.

  Black blood sprayed with every heartbeat.

  “Agh!”

  Yivern collapsed to one knee, instinctively reaching for its shoulder with a hand that was no longer there.

  The pain burned deeper than flesh, as if the wound had been carved into its very soul.

  Olivia emerged behind it, her boot crushing the severed wing beneath her heel.

  “Really,” she said coldly, “what’s one more death on my hands at this point?”

  Just as Yivern had trampled the illusion of her precious maid, Olivia now trampled the pride of the monster before her.