“Watch out!” Shin cried as he launched himself forward without hesitation. Dirt and shattered stone burst beneath his boots as he sprinted across the battlefield, the air shrieking around him from sheer speed. Before Lireina could react, Shin slammed into her and tackled her out of the path of the incoming strike.
A razor-thin blade of corrupted wind carved through the space where they had stood only a heartbeat earlier. The attack hissed through the air like a monstrous scythe, slicing apart loose rocks and sending clouds of dust spiraling into the storm-dark sky.
Shin and Lireina tumbled violently across the uneven ground. Pebbles scraped against their clothes while the cold earth knocked the breath from their lungs. They rolled several times before finally stopping, Shin ending up above her, breathing heavily as adrenaline pounded through his veins.
For a brief second, everything became strangely still.
Then Shin realized his hand was pressed against Lireina’s breast.
His crimson-purple eyes widened in horror. Heat rushed into his face faster than the battle itself.
“I-I’m sorry!” Shin blurted as he immediately pulled his hand away like he had been burned. “My body moved on its own!”
Lireina stared up at him in stunned silence. Her green eyes trembled slightly, and a deep blush spread across her pale cheeks. Strands of her long golden-blonde hair clung to her face, swaying softly in the tainted wind surrounding the battlefield.
“I-It’s okay,” Lireina answered quietly, her voice almost drowned out by the distant roar of corrupted air currents.
But the softness in her expression vanished instantly.
Her eyes snapped toward Semjaza.
The fallen angel stood in the distance, dark energy writhing violently around his body like a living storm. The corrupted wind gathered around his blade once more, shrieking louder and louder as another slash attack prepared to erupt.
Without wasting another second, Lireina wrapped an arm tightly around Shin’s waist.
“Hold on!”
She kicked off the ground with explosive force just as the next attack tore through the battlefield. The blackened wind cleaved apart the earth beneath them, leaving behind a deep scar across the stone-covered terrain.
A violent gust slammed against Lireina’s body, but she swiftly responded by channeling wind magic beneath her feet. Emerald-colored currents spiraled around her like flowing ribbons, allowing her to twist gracefully through midair. Her movements were elegant and impossibly light, almost like a bird dancing through a hurricane.
The cold air whipped against Shin’s face as they soared away from Semjaza, landing roughly nearly ten meters away. Dust and loose leaves scattered outward upon impact.
Lireina carefully lowered Shin onto the ground before taking several exhausted breaths. Sweat rolled down the side of her face, and her chest rose and fell unevenly. Even maintaining basic wind magic had become difficult under the influence of Semjaza’s corrupted aura. The surrounding air itself felt poisoned, heavy, and hostile to her mana.
Then Lireina crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks slightly in frustration.
“Don’t do that again, Shin,” she scolded softly. “I still have my Autonomous Evasion skill active. You’ll only get hurt trying to protect me.”
Shin rubbed the back of his head awkwardly and laughed nervously despite the danger surrounding them.
“Haha… sorry. Like I said, my body just moved on its own.”
Lireina stared at him for a moment.
Despite the overwhelming pressure radiating from Semjaza… despite the exhaustion weighing down her limbs… despite the corruption in the wind constantly draining her mana… she felt strangely energized.
Her heartbeat refused to calm down.
Was it because Shin had risked his life for her without hesitation?
Was it because of his reckless courage and unwavering bravery?
Or was it because, after a hundred long years of being literally untouchable from others… Shin had become the first person to touch her so closely?
Lireina pressed a hand lightly against her chest.
Her heart was beating far louder than the battlefield around her.
Meanwhile, Croft continued firing her revolver at Semjaza without pause. Each deafening gunshot echoed across the battlefield, sharp flashes bursting from the revolver’s barrel as the smell of burning gunpowder filled the air. Spent casings clinked against the shattered stone beneath her boots while her arms trembled slightly from the constant recoil.
The bullets struck the Halochassis armor with metallic sparks, leaving behind only shallow dents and scratches across the dark plating. Some rounds ricocheted away with piercing screeches, while others embedded themselves uselessly into the armor before falling apart.
“Tch… damn monster!” Croft hissed as she continued pulling the trigger.
Despite the nonstop barrage, Semjaza barely slowed down.
The fallen angel continued advancing through the storm of bullets like an unstoppable nightmare, corrupted wind swirling violently around his massive frame. Every step he took cracked the ground beneath him, and the sinister aura surrounding his body distorted the air itself.
Then Croft glanced toward Shin and Lireina.
“You guys are going to kiss or what?” Croft complained loudly, irritation mixing with nervous panic.
Lireina immediately stood up, her long golden-blonde hair fluttering wildly in the cursed wind. Though exhaustion still lingered on her face, determination burned brightly within her emerald-green eyes.
Without answering Croft, Lireina opened the small pouch hanging from her waist.
Inside was a glowing mana potion.
The liquid shimmered with soft emerald light as if liquid magic had been bottled into crystal glass. Lireina uncorked it and quickly drank the potion. The sweet yet sharp scent of concentrated mana briefly filled the air around her.
Almost instantly, streams of green energy flowed across her body like rushing rivers. The exhaustion in her expression faded, and the pressure surrounding her weakened breathing stabilized.
“I haven’t used mana potions for decades,” Lireina admitted while tossing the empty bottle aside. The glass shattered against the rocks nearby. “Nature energy alone has always given me an unlimited supply.”
Her gaze hardened as she looked directly at Semjaza.
“But this fallen angel is bad news.”
Suddenly, a powerful surge of wind erupted around Lireina.
The air howled violently as emerald currents spiraled around her body, whipping dust, leaves, and loose stones into the sky. Shin’s eyes widened immediately upon seeing it.
He remembered this power.
It was the same overwhelming transformation Lireina had used during their battle before.
“Lireina, don’t use your second form!” Croft cried out in alarm. “Or else—”
“Got it,” Lireina interrupted confidently. “Activating Second Form!”
BOOOOOOM!
A massive green hurricane exploded outward from her body.
The pressure of the wind forced Shin and Croft to shield their faces as the storm expanded across the battlefield. The roaring currents sounded almost alive, shrieking through the ruined terrain while glowing particles of mana danced within the swirling tempest like countless emerald stars.
At the center of the storm stood Lireina.
Then the hurricane slowly faded.
Shin stared speechlessly.
Lireina had completely transformed.
Her old clothes had vanished, replaced by an elegant frilly dress adorned with flower-like patterns that shimmered softly under the green aura surrounding her body. The short skirt fluttered wildly in the wind, revealing her long slender legs wrapped in glowing streams of magic.
Most striking of all were the fairy wings that had sprouted from her back.
The translucent emerald wings radiated soft light, resembling crystal petals forged from wind itself. They fluttered gently behind her, scattering glowing particles into the air every time they moved.
Lireina slowly lifted her head.
Her emerald eyes now glowed with supernatural intensity as she glared directly at Semjaza. The surrounding wind bent unnaturally around her body as though the atmosphere itself obeyed her command.
Then she lowered her stance.
Green magic surged around her feet, spiraling faster and faster until the ground beneath her began cracking from the pressure alone.
The next instant—
FWOOOSH!
Lireina vanished in a violent burst of wind.
“Tempest Barrage!”
The moment Lireina shouted the name of her attack, the battlefield erupted into chaos.
A violent explosion of wind burst beneath her feet as she kicked off the ground with overwhelming force. The stone beneath her instantly shattered into fragments, and before anyone could even blink, Lireina vanished from sight.
BOOOOM!
A massive shockwave exploded directly in front of the Halochassis.
Lireina had appeared right before Semjaza in less than a heartbeat.
With a graceful spin, she delivered a devastating upward kick straight into the armored giant’s chin. The impact sounded like a cannon blast. Cracks instantly spread across the dark metal helmet as the Halochassis was launched upward.
But Lireina was already gone.
FWOOOSH!
A burst of green wind exploded above the airborne enemy.
Lireina appeared overhead, her fairy wings scattering glowing emerald particles through the air. She drove another kick downward into Semjaza’s chest, bending the thick armor inward with a sickening metallic crunch.
Then she disappeared again.
And again.
And again.
The battlefield became a storm of teleportation flashes and destructive impacts. Lireina moved so fast that even Croft’s vision struggled to follow her movements. All he could see were violent shockwaves erupting around the Halochassis and brief flashes of emerald wind appearing from impossible directions.
BOOM!
CRAAASH!
THOOOOM!
Every kick carried enough force to distort the air itself. The Halochassis staggered helplessly as Lireina assaulted it from all angles—above, below, behind, and directly ahead. One moment she was striking its chest, the next she was smashing its spine, then instantly reappearing to crush its shoulders with another devastating blow.
The sheer speed of her attacks created afterimages across the battlefield.
Even the corrupted wind surrounding Semjaza was being torn apart by Lireina’s overwhelming power.
Shin could only stare in stunned disbelief.
For his perspective, the entire fight had become unreadable. He saw only bursts of green light, rings of compressed air exploding outward, and the sound of impacts so powerful they rattled his bones.
The Halochassis armor finally began to fail.
Cracks spread rapidly across the once-indestructible black plating like spiderwebs across glass. Pieces of armor broke apart under the relentless barrage, scattering molten fragments across the battlefield.
Then the armor shattered completely.
“Yaaah!”
Lireina suddenly reappeared high above Semjaza, her long golden-blonde hair dancing wildly in the storm she had created. Her emerald eyes glowed brilliantly as she raised her leg high overhead.
Then she brought it down in a merciless axe kick.
BOOOOOOOOM!!!
The kick landed directly on Semjaza’s helmet. The force behind the impact was catastrophic.
The Halochassis crashed into the ground like a meteor, instantly creating a massive crater. The earth ruptured outward in all directions while clouds of dust and shattered stone blasted into the sky.
For several seconds, the battlefield trembled violently.
Then silence followed.
But Lireina still wasn’t finished.
Hovering above the crater with her glowing fairy wings spread wide, Lireina extended one hand forward. A massive magical circle instantly materialized behind her, glowing with intricate emerald runes.
The surrounding mana began gathering rapidly. The air itself vibrated with terrifying energy.
Then, emerging from the magical circle, a gigantic railgun slowly manifested into existence.
The enormous weapon looked both magical and mechanical at the same time, covered in glowing runic lines and swirling currents of compressed wind mana. The barrel radiated blinding green light as energy gathered at its center with a deafening hum.
Croft’s eyes widened.
“You’ve got to be kidding me…”
Lireina pointed toward the crater.
“Shooter’s Finale!”
FWOOOOOOOOOOOSH!!!
A colossal beam of emerald energy erupted from the railgun.
The laser carved through the battlefield like divine judgment itself. Everything in its path instantly melted—the ground, shattered debris, even the lingering corrupted wind around Semjaza evaporated under the overwhelming heat and power.
The crater became a sea of molten stone.
When the light finally faded, the Halochassis no longer existed.
It had been completely annihilated.
The only thing remaining was the one hidden inside.
A female dark elf. Or what was left of her.
Half of her body had been vaporized entirely by Lireina’s attack. Burnt flesh and blackened blood stained the ruined crater while smoke rose from the remains. Yet despite her horrific condition, the dark elf was somehow still alive.
Shin felt cold sweat running down his back.
He had always known Lireina was powerful. She was one of the legendary Celestial Wardens, beings feared and respected throughout history itself.
But witnessing her true strength firsthand was something entirely different.
Back when they first fought, Shin had thought he survived through skill and determination.
Now he realized the terrifying truth. Lireina had probably been holding back the entire time.
“So this…” Shin muttered quietly, his voice filled with awe and fear, “is the true power of a Celestial Warden.”
Lireina slowly descended from the air and landed before the dying dark elf. Her dress fluttered softly in the wind while glowing emerald particles drifted around her like falling stars.
The dark elf lifted her head weakly.
Even while standing at death’s door, hatred still burned within her crimson eyes.
She glared at Lireina with murderous malice. Then, despite the blood pouring from her ruined body, the dark elf smiled.
“Kill… me…” she rasped painfully. “You wicked… light elf…”
Lireina stared silently at the dying dark elf for several long seconds.
The battlefield had finally gone quiet.
Only the faint crackling of molten stone and the distant dripping of water inside the dungeon could be heard now. Smoke lingered heavily in the air from the devastating railgun blast, carrying the bitter scent of burnt metal and scorched flesh. Small glowing embers drifted through the darkness like dying fireflies.
The dark elf continued glaring at Lireina with hatred-filled eyes, though her strength was already fading rapidly.
Lireina slowly raised one of her pistols.
The metallic click of the hammer echoed softly through the ruined chamber.
Her emerald eyes showed neither anger nor satisfaction—only pity.
Then she pulled the trigger.
BANG!
The gunshot thundered throughout the dungeon one final time.
The dark elf’s body went limp instantly, her suffering finally brought to an end.
At the same moment, the twisted roots spreading from the destroyed Halochassis began to wither. The blackened vines cracked apart like dried branches, their corrupted energy fading into harmless particles of dust. One by one, the pulsating growths covering the dungeon walls crumbled away.
The oppressive atmosphere that had filled the dungeon slowly disappeared.
“It’s over now,” Lireina said softly.
She turned toward Shin and Croft with a gentle smile on her face. The overwhelming aura surrounding her vanished as she finally undid her Second Form. Emerald light flowed away from her body in glowing streams while her fairy wings dissolved into drifting particles.
Her elegant transformation faded, returning her to her normal appearance.
But the moment the transformation completely disappeared, Lireina’s body swayed weakly.
The color drained from her face. Then she collapsed forward.
“Lena!” Croft cried in alarm.
Shin immediately rushed forward alongside Croft, both of them kneeling beside the exhausted elf. The ground beneath them was still warm from the recent battle while loose dust floated around the air from the destroyed crater nearby.
Lireina looked terribly pale now.
Sweat covered her forehead, and her breathing had become shallow and uneven. Using the Second Form had clearly consumed a monstrous amount of mana.
Still, when Shin and Croft checked on her, Lireina weakly lifted one hand.
Then she made a tiny peace sign.
“I’m okay…” she whispered with a frail smile.
Croft’s eye twitched in irritation.
“You dumb elf grandma!” Croft snapped, though relief was obvious in her voice. “I told you not to use your Second Form! You know it burns through a ridiculous amount of mana and stamina, didn’t you?”
Lireina gave a weak laugh.
“Haha… sorry,” she murmured softly. “My body just moved on its own.”
Shin could not help but blink in surprise. That was almost the exact same excuse he used earlier.
Croft groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.
“You two are seriously alike in the worst possible ways.”
Then Croft let out a long sigh before turning toward Shin.
“Mister Rebellium,” she said, “can you carry Lireina?”
“Are you sure?” Shin immediately blushed.
His crimson-purple eyes shifted awkwardly toward Lireina, who was still lying weakly on the ground. Memories of accidentally grabbing her earlier flashed violently through his mind, making him even more embarrassed.
Croft crossed her arms impatiently.
“I’m shorter than her, and there’s no way I can carry her all the way back,” Croft explained. “Besides, I’ll need both hands free to use the teleportation crystal.”
Then she smirked slightly.
“Don’t worry. She’s light.”
Lireina weakly looked away, her cheeks turning faintly red once more.
Meanwhile, Shin silently swallowed his nervousness as he prepared himself to carry the legendary Celestial Warden in his arms.
Lireina puffed her cheeks weakly and turned her face away.
“Geez… you don’t have to mention my weight,” she complained softly, though her exhausted voice lacked its usual sharpness.
Croft immediately smirked.
“You’re dead weight right now, Miss Untouchable Windwalker,” Croft teased while placing her hands on her hips. “So let this brave man do the work. Isn’t that right?”
Croft gave Shin a playful wink.
Shin instantly felt heat rush to his face.
“O-Okay,” Shin answered awkwardly.
For a brief moment, his nervousness nearly overwhelmed him. His crimson-purple eyes darted toward Lireina, whose long golden-blonde hair was spread messily across the cracked dungeon floor. Even exhausted and covered in dust from battle, she still looked unbelievably beautiful.
But Shin quickly shook those thoughts away. This was not the time to act like a shy idiot.
Taking a careful breath, Shin slid one arm beneath Lireina’s back and the other under her legs before lifting her gently into his arms like a princess.
"Ah!" Lireina let out a small surprised sound.
Shin blinked.
Croft had been right. Lireina was unexpectedly light.
Considering the overwhelming power she possessed as a Celestial Warden, Shin had subconsciously expected her to feel heavier somehow. Instead, her body felt delicate and soft in his arms, almost featherlight. Her faint floral scent reached him despite the lingering smell of smoke and battle around them.
Lireina’s face immediately turned red.
“H-Hey…” she murmured weakly, clearly embarrassed by the position she was in.
But before either of them could say anything else, Croft raised the teleportation crystal high into the air.
The crystal glowed brilliantly.
A massive pillar of silver light instantly engulfed all three of them, illuminating the ruined dungeon walls with radiant energy. Magical symbols spiraled around the beam while powerful mana currents hummed loudly through the air.
Then the world vanished in a flash.
FWOOOSH!
The next moment, the three of them reappeared inside the grand courtyard of Cathedral Exa.
It was already nighttime.
The cool evening air brushed gently against their skin after the suffocating heat of battle. Above them, countless stars shimmered across the dark sky like scattered diamonds, while the full moon cast pale silver light upon the cathedral grounds.
The Cathedral Exa stood magnificently before them.
Its towering white walls and golden decorations glowed softly beneath the moonlight, giving the holy structure an almost divine appearance. The massive church at the center radiated warm golden light, illuminating the surrounding pathways and stained-glass windows even in the darkness of night.
After the horrors of the dungeon, the peaceful atmosphere felt surreal.
“The clerics inside the altar will handle Lireina’s mana deficiency,” Croft explained while lowering the now-dim teleportation crystal. “Let’s go.”
Shin nodded silently.
Then he continued carrying Lireina toward the cathedral entrance.
Every step echoed softly against the polished stone pathways. Shin could feel Lireina’s warmth against his chest, along with the faint rise and fall of her breathing. Though she tried to maintain her composure, the blush on her face refused to disappear.
Several times, Lireina looked like she wanted to protest.
But the moment she tried moving her legs, weakness spread throughout her body again. The exhaustion from her Second Form had drained nearly all her strength.
Eventually, she gave up resisting.
With a quiet sigh, Lireina slowly rested her head against Shin’s chest.
Shin stiffened slightly in surprise.
He could feel the softness of her hair brushing against his neck while her gentle breathing warmed his clothes. Despite everything that had happened tonight—the battle, the destruction, the near-death experiences—the moment somehow felt strangely peaceful.
Lireina closed her emerald eyes.
For over a hundred years, she had always carried burdens alone. She had always been the protector. The untouchable warrior. The invincible Celestial Warden.
But now, being carried while completely vulnerable… being able to rely on someone else for once…
It did not feel unpleasant at all.
Being weak like this is not so bad after all, Lireina thought quietly.