Durandal felt the crushing force rise.
She gripped Abyss Flower with both hands.
This time, she wouldn't hold back.
"In the name of Schariac, I command the white flower blooming in the Abyss—unleash your full power!"
Fluorescent light surged along the pristine white shaft of Abyss Flower. From the fractured earth, dark green vines erupted, writhing like serpents. They shot toward Xingyue from every direction, their barbed tips poised to pierce her.
Xingyue raised a single hand, her gaze sharpening.
Clang—Clang!
The vines halted mid-air, just centimeters from her body, crashing against a translucent sky-blue barrier. No matter how violently they thrashed, they couldn't pierce the veil.
The barrier didn't even ripple.
Xingyue stood unfazed, while Durandal's breath grew heavier—her chest rising and falling with effort.
Clearly, that last technique had taken its toll.
"What? Is that all?"
Xingyue glanced around at the now-wilting vines, their vitality fading. She stroked her chin, her voice laced with mockery.
"Come on. Shout."
Durandal scoffed, brushing off the taunt. She steadied her breath, raised her spear once more, and closed her eyes.
"I am the black that journeys to hell."
"I am the white that descends from heaven."
As she chanted, white flames ignited along Abyss Flower's shaft, growing denser with each word.
Rita's eyes widened. Her fists clenched.
"This… Lady Durandal, are you really going to use that?"
If even this failed, there would be no choice but to retreat.
Otto, watching from Schicksal HQ, shared the same thought.
Unbeknownst to them, another presence had arrived.
Hidden in the tall grass, a figure stood beneath an umbrella—despite the absence of rain. Only crimson pupils glowed beneath a mechanical mask.
Grey Serpent.
A faint mechanical rasp escaped his voice modulator.
"Herrscher of the Sea… intriguing."
"Schicksal's golden girl is struggling. It seems only the Honored Lord Kevin could match her."
In his memory banks, the Honored Lord was an invincible being. No matter how powerful this Herrscher appeared, she couldn't compare.
Still, she was an anomaly—one that didn't exist in their plans.
Grey Serpent lowered his head, considering whether to report this to the Honored Lord, still trapped in the Sea of Quanta.
Back on the battlefield, Durandal's chant reached its climax.
"Abyss Flower—Second Rated Power: Sacred Lance Reversal—Transcendent Unleash!"
A blinding white light burst forth, brighter than day. Rita shielded her eyes, the radiance too intense to bear.
At the epicenter, Abyss Flower—now infused with the dual forces of creation and decay—hurtled toward Xingyue with divine fury.
"Hiss… she really used that one?"
Xingyue clicked her tongue, brows furrowing slightly.
"If that hits me head-on… it'll sting."
She raised her other hand, conjuring a barrier several times thicker than before.
Clang—
BOOM!
A thunderous impact shook the earth. The shockwave exploded outward, flattening the surrounding grass in a massive radius.
Rita braced herself, one arm shielding her face, the other gripping her scythe embedded in the ground. Even so, she was pushed back, her heels carving deep trenches into the soil.
Only after sliding several meters did the tremors subside.
Rita exhaled shakily and looked up.
The battlefield had been transformed. Vegetation within hundreds of meters was obliterated, the earth laid bare.
The Valkyries who had collapsed earlier were nowhere to be seen—scattered by the blast. Schicksal would need time to recover them.
At the center stood the silver-white spear, Abyss Flower, embedded in the ground between the two combatants.
Durandal, once radiant and composed, now stood panting, her body aching, golden hair dusted with dirt. Her strength was spent.
In contrast, Xingyue remained pristine. Her hands were still raised, the barrier intact, her expression calm.
One strike had decided everything.
Durandal had lost—utterly.