Keleanos, protected by a handful of angels, stared in disbelief at the cataclysmic brawl unfolding before him.

  The maids, alongside Olivia, moved with purpose, creating openings for one another.

  This was a battle meant to fell the titan that was Yivern.

  A wordless, coordinated assault designed to deal as much damage as possible.

  There was something else he realized along the way.

  They had been holding back their true might until now.

  As the Devourer emerged from the dust, he swallowed hard.

  This was not a battle he could join. This was a battle for monsters.

  He had done his part. Now, it was their turn.

  Olivia briefly glanced to her right, toward the direction they had come from days earlier.

  Her gaze lingered there for a heartbeat before she clenched her blade and refocused on her enemy.

  Yivern’s scream abruptly ceased.

  Its appendages spread outward like those of an octopus, sweeping out to demolish what little remained of the standing buildings.

  Pressing both hands against the ground, it leaned forward, its beak slowly opening.

  A cold bead of sweat traced down Olivia’s spine as she felt the air being drawn toward Yivern.

  Dust followed, spiraling inward and painting a clear picture of the gathering force.

  The forming vortex tugged at everyone, forcing them to brace and step back.

  The maids regrouped around their Master, preparing for a devastating attack.

  A bright light bloomed within Yivern’s mouth. The air warped as shadows stretched unnaturally, the atmosphere darkening in an instant.

  When it finally opened its beak, a destructive sphere tore free, hurtling straight toward Olivia.

  Without hesitation, the dark-element maids stepped forward.

  Raising their hands in perfect unison, waves of black matter surged together, forming a thick, translucent dome of darkness around them.

  Martha, Alisa, and Noelle appeared behind the formation in an instant.

  They mirrored the movement, erecting a void barrier within the existing dome.

  Olivia joined them, summoning a final wall of water in front of the structure to intercept the blast.

  The sphere struck the water first.

  With a violent, sizzling hum, it vaporized Olivia’s magic almost instantly.

  It then slammed into the second barrier, the one sustained by the demonic maids.

  For a brief moment, they held their stance. Then the true force of the attack revealed itself.

  Cracks raced across the barrier as energy leaked inward, hammering relentlessly against the void shield behind it.

  The maids clenched their teeth as the fractures spread faster and faster, until the dome shattered into fragments of dissipating magic.

  Alma's hands trembled from the pressure, while Laure fell to one knee, quickly biting her lips to force herself to stand.

  As their spell was consumed by the onslaught, they tightened their formation, standing firm in front of their Master and shielding her with their own bodies.

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  With the void barrier still standing, they hoped to disperse the remaining energy.

  This time, the match favored them.

  The void barrier responded with equal intensity, screeching and warping in rippling patterns.

  The sphere rapidly diminished, shrinking away until nothing remained.

  The three maids exhaled in relief.

  But what awaited them was not what they expected.

  Yivern was already preparing another blast. In fact, it was nearly ready to fire.

  Feeling the crushing weight behind the pull, they knew this one would be worse than the last.

  They had no time.

  They faced a brutal choice.

  Either they poured every remaining reserve of magic into another defense, knowing it would leave them unable to continue fighting, or they scattered and fled, risking being torn apart by the Devourer’s appendages.

  With the enemy blocking most of the escape routes, neither option offered safety.

  In the end, they chose to gamble everything.

  Through exhaustion, with dulled senses and thinning air that swallowed all sound, they stood their ground and raised their hands in response.

  While they stood ready to burn their lives for Olivia, a shadow surged ahead of the formation.

  Zara warped left and right, narrowly avoiding the Devourer’s appendages as she pushed dangerously closer to Yivern’s body.

  Its immense shadow swallowed her as she threaded between its hands with extreme precision.

  With every breath she advanced, the pull intensified. Color drained from the world the closer she drew.

  Not once did the thought of retreat cross her mind. She was committed to making this final gamble count.

  At the rear, the angels noticed her movement at once. They understood her intent in a single glance.

  Eden, leading Helen and Helena away from those guarding Keleanos, pointed toward Zara. Their eyes ignited with bright light.

  Their wings spread, feathers vibrating in response.

  Without warning, Zara accelerated. Her body felt lighter than it ever had.

  In the next instant, she was directly beneath Yivern’s head, just as it prepared to unleash its next attack.

  For a heartbeat, Zara realized her error.

  She could not reach it from here, nor strike it at this angle.

  She twisted sharply to the left, aiming her right hand toward another group.

  Isa and Claire were shielding Sonia, who had been isolated by one of Yivern’s feathers.

  They were locked in a defensive posture, carefully avoiding the sweeping appendage.

  Zara gave them no choice.

  She warped all three of them to her side.

  Disoriented by the sudden shift in pressure and color, they staggered for a fraction of a second.

  Then they looked up.

  Yivern’s massive torso filled the sky above them. The sphere was already forming at its beak.

  That was enough.

  Their eyes returned to Zara, and without a word, they moved.

  Sonia blessed Isa with angelic magic, strength surging through her arms.

  Claire dropped to one knee, clasped her hands, and closed her eyes. She whispered, though her voice was swallowed by the thinning air.

  From her shadow, a two-handed mace emerged, far larger than the one she usually wielded.

  Zara seized it with both hands and fixed her glare upward.

  Isa lifted Zara cleanly, holding her steady.

  With Zara’s feet braced in her grip, Isa leaned back, her muscles screaming under the strain of Sonia’s magic.

  Zara crouched low, coiled tight.

  With a violent upward throw and a powerful leap, Isa launched her.

  Zara tore through the air at tremendous speed.

  From afar, Olivia and the maids caught sight of a flicker of light racing upward beneath Yivern’s head.

  Zara pulled the mace back, teeth clenched, her features warping under the sheer velocity.

  At the last instant, Yivern’s eyes registered the threat.

  It was far too late.

  Her scream was lost to the vacuum as she slammed the mace into the underside of Yivern’s mouth.

  A blinding flash erupted as the Devourer involuntarily swallowed its own attack.

  Those prepared to defend were thrown into sudden confusion as the crushing pressure vanished.

  Its eyes bulged as the impact snapped its head backward. A moment later, its entire body followed, hands tearing free from the ground.

  Yivern hesitated, visibly confused, its remaining core blinking uncontrollably.

  Zara plummeted.

  Her consciousness began to slip, but she felt the pulse of Claire’s weapon shatter in her grip.

  The sensation jolted her back.

  She twisted midair, turning to face the ground.

  Moments before impact, she released the broken mace and raised her arms to shield herself.

  A massive net of darkness caught her fall.

  The maids guarding Olivia poured their magic into the construct, arresting Zara’s descent at the last possible instant.

  Isa, Claire, and Sonia rushed to her side. Zara immediately warped them all back to Eden.

  Olivia stared at the Devourer, her expression hardening.

  Within Yivern’s mouth, light distorted wildly as it clutched its head in horror.

  Then everything gave way.

  Light tore outward from its face. Mouth, eyes, nose, and ears all erupted as the contained force ravaged it from within.

  The Devourer convulsed violently, its own attack consuming it.

  Olivia tightened her grip on her sword.

  Not yet, she thought. This isn’t enough to defeat it.

  She was right.

  As the light faded, Yivern clenched its hands.

  Black blood streamed from its eyes as its red pupils reformed. Their glow was diminished, but the hatred within them remained.

  It leaned forward, expelling a cloud of black smoke from its beak, purging pain and ruin alike.

  Its core was fractured. Large portions of its body were heavily damaged.

  For the first time, it felt pressure.

  Pressured enough that it failed to notice the deep rumbling rising behind it.