Elise had already understood the Sacred Queen's purpose. But why did it feel so familiar?
Ah, she got it!
Thanos—it was you!
Destroy the world first, then create it anew?
"Although you have your ideals and are even willing to act on them, which I admire," Elise said, "what does any of this have to do with me? Why should I get involved?"
She knew she was no saint.
Destroy the world? What did that matter to her?
She wasn't a savior!
And the most the Sacred Queen could accomplish was the destruction of the world connected to Blade Dance. As long as Elise left this world, none of it concerned her.
Not to mention, the protagonist Kamito Kazehaya was still alive!
He would definitely defeat the Sacred Queen…
Probably.
"You're right—it has nothing to do with you." The Sacred Queen nodded calmly at Elise's words, then her tone shifted.
"But then… can you guarantee that you will never oppose me?"
This time, there was no trace of levity in her voice. A tremendous Divine Power gathered in the sky, making it clear she was ready to strike at the slightest disagreement.
This was what the Sacred Queen cared about most.
She knew Elise wasn't of this world, and therefore could never have any sense of belonging here.
That was why she had revealed her plan to Elise and even extended an invitation. Even if Elise refused, it didn't matter.
In her eyes, Elise's power wasn't particularly strong. The only thing worth caution was that strange force she had displayed earlier—what had Elise called it… faith power?
It was indeed formidable. Enough to pose a threat even to the Sacred Queen.
But she had already found a way to deal with it.
"Be my enemy?" Elise tilted her head, smiling. "Of course not. Haha!"
"I knew it! There's no way you'd ever side with this world," the Sacred Queen laughed as well.
The very next second, a sword of light materialized in her hand. At point-blank range, she slashed toward Elise!
Elise started to dodge, but an intuition welled up inside her.
That strike would not miss.
It would absolutely hit!
And strong fighters always trusted their instincts. In that moment, Elise abandoned evasion. Instead, faith power surged within her.
Sacred Speech!
"Defend!"
"Reflect!"
A shield of white light blocked the Sacred Queen's strike. Their gazes locked, and yet… oddly, Elise's eyes' power had no effect on the Sacred Queen.
But no matter. The reflection had already activated!
Ripples spread across the shield's surface, absorbing all impact and sending it back at the Sacred Queen.
Yet rather than defending, she charged straight at Elise!
The attack was already upon her—there was no way she could avoid it.
Elise couldn't dodge either!
But instead of shattering the Sacred Queen's body, the immense power poured directly into her.
"What?!"
Elise's eyes widened. For the first time, panic gripped her, and even her movements faltered.
She wasn't a pure warrior; her combat instincts weren't that sharp.
In the first world, she had focused more on managing her church, spreading faith, and only occasionally trained in battle.
In Asterisk, her mastery of faith had placed her among the strongest alive—few could ever wound her.
Unless they had some way to counter her faith, defeating her was impossible.
Elise had always believed that… but she hadn't expected it to happen so soon!
Her defenses and reflection born of faith power and Sacred Speech were now completely absorbed by the Sacred Queen!
Elise could even sense faith itself radiating from the Sacred Queen's body. The shock froze her in place for an instant.
Just who was the Sacred Queen?
She had lived for thousands of years, fought for thousands of years—how could she let such an opening slip?
Her left hand struck forward, aimed directly at… Elise's heart!
"!"
There was no time, and the distance was too close. All Elise could do was twist her body slightly.
Thud!
The Sacred Queen's palm landed on Elise's waist, forcing her back several steps.
She touched her side. There was no wound, no strange sensation.
And that was precisely what unsettled her. The strike had carried such force—so why had it left no injury?
"You must be very confused. Don't worry, I'll explain it slowly."
The Sacred Queen seemed eager to talk further, but Elise had no intention of continuing.
"No need. Let's part ways here, and never meet again!"
She had no desire to fight the Sacred Queen to the death. Though undeniably strong—far stronger than Elise had expected—she still had the Lord God Space.
She could come back later, stronger, and kill her then!
With that, Elise prepared to use the Lord God's power to leave the Blade Dance world.
"That just now… was an anchor point."
The Sacred Queen raised one slender finger, her warm smile undercut by the cruel chill beneath it.
Elise froze. Seeing this, the Sacred Queen laughed even more sweetly.
"What I planted in your body just now is my anchor."
"If you remain in our world, I can at most sense your existence. But the moment you leave, the anchor will shine like a beacon."
"By then, it will be easy for me to find you. And when that time comes, we can have a proper conversation."
"For now—go on. Leave."
The Sacred Queen extended her hand, as though waiting for Elise to resume the Lord God's teleportation.
But how could Elise possibly dare to return to the Lord God Space now?
She had said it herself before—the Lord God Space was only a fragment. Its defenses were… pitifully poor.
As for the Sacred Queen—could she really reach the Lord God Space?
Elise's rational mind said no.
The infinite multiverse wasn't something one could transcend so easily.
But what if?
First: the Lord God Space was incomplete, just a fragment, and its defenses were terribly weak.
Second: the Sacred Queen had planted her anchor inside Elise, magnifying her presence and that of the Lord God.
Third: the Sacred Queen had absorbed Elise's faith, making her all the more visible.
Fourth: Est had once been the Saintess of Salvation—the Sacred Queen's own weapon. If the Sacred Queen revived, perhaps she could use that to track her.
It was possible the Sacred Queen was bluffing…
But would Elise dare gamble on that?
She would not!