Tohsaka Rin held absolute faith in her own excellence and power. However, facing those colossal beasts capable of tearing apart even dragons with ease, she knew her contribution to the battle, even if she joined the fray, might be minimal. But... that was no excuse to stand idly in the rear! As a magus, her place was on the front lines. "I won't let you run rampant here!" Mid-air, gazing at the enemies now terrifyingly close, a look of fierce resolve hardened Rin's eyes. Several dazzling gems were clenched between her fingers, each one a jewel of the Grade 7 or higher. She was ready.

"Rin, let me go up." Before she even reached the thick of the fighting, Læi, held tightly in Rin's grasp, suddenly spoke. Seeing the confusion in Rin's eyes, Læi pointed upward... toward the sky. "You want me to toss you into the sky?" Rin asked, doubt clouding her features. "Yes." Læi nodded emphatically, her face brimming with confidence. "I can do it. Trust me." "...Alright." Rin agreed in less than a second of hesitation. Everyone here was sovereign; no one had the right to obstruct another's determination, much less insult the courage they showed in wanting to protect their comrades and contribute to this world. Furthermore, Rin believed that courage must walk hand-in-hand with strength. Since Læi possessed the courage to enter this battlefield, there must be something she was capable of achieving!

Rin channeled her magical power into her right hand and sharply pushed Læi near her waist. The girl's seemingly boneless body instantly shot toward the heavens. A massive surge of mana propelled her thousands of meters skyward, still ascending, seemingly close enough to brush the very clouds.

Læi spread her arms wide, letting the wind howl past her ears and whip her hair into disarray, appearing to savor the sheer joy of flight. When the upward momentum ceased and her body began its descent, she suddenly closed her eyes, clasping her hands tightly together, as if in prayer. A faint, sacred aura began to emanate from within her.

At the Ediru Garden, she had witnessed so much: the pure beauty and the base ugliness of human nature. There were sights that ignited her anger and moments that brought her joy. She met those she longed to see and experienced events she wished had never transpired. All of it—countless interwoven events—flashed behind her eyes... Though the journey was brief, for her, those few days felt longer than the five centuries she had previously known. She was no longer the ignorant girl she once was. She was the Seven-Colored Sacred Tree, the mightiest Holy War Angel, Mefistofeles—she was... the Blade of Verdant Wind, capable of summoning every breeze in this world!

Because the world had obscured their forms, contractors could not gaze upon one another, and the Conductor was singular. Even if the heart burned intensely, the resulting sound, cold and lone, could never form a true melody. Yet... even if the world veiled their sight, yearning remained. Even if the Conductor was only one, the intent to protect could still sing an astonishing paean—a hymn awakened from the most ancient memories, powerful enough to summon the strongest winds this world knew.

"Covenant Cage, enter my being, broken and renewed, woven into a song of hope, drawing the power of all creation to walk with me..." Facing the razor-sharp wind, the girl plummeted from the sky. At that velocity, a crash would shatter even a Weapon Race member into dust, yet there was no trace of fear on the girl's face. Softly yet firmly, she chanted her unique lyrics alone: "Covenant's Hope, water my heart, distant yet real, existing beyond the mind, gather the world's winds to dance with me—Fantasy of the Wind!"

As her final word faded, the ribbon in the girl's hair detached and fluttered down. Her blue hair danced in the breeze, and the emerald jewel on her forehead burst forth with blinding radiance. As this light enveloped her, the winds from every corner of the world converged around her... It wasn't the wind blowing to her; it was she who brought the wind.

The wind formed a colossal vortex, merging with the light, growing fiercer and more intense. Then, the girl's body began to fade gradually, finally vanishing without a trace. All that remained enveloped by the gale was... the Blade of Verdant Wind!

Without a Contractor, relying solely on her own power, Læi had transformed herself into a weapon. No one wielded her; she wielded herself. This was her current strength—she could fight alone.

"Roar!!"

At that moment, a giant beast on the ground detected the presence of the Blade of Verdant Wind. With a furious roar, the beast stamped its feet, and in a display that defied belief, its massive body, towering like a skyscraper, leaped nearly a thousand meters high, bringing its grinding stone of a paw down savagely toward the Blade of Verdant Wind.

Voom!

Seemingly sensing the enemy's approach, the Blade of Verdant Wind emitted a faint vibration. Læi’s spectral, upper-torso phantom manifested near the hilt, hands clasped together, her cherry lips parting slightly, "Let us begin, the Angel's Cadenza."

Then, the girl opened her eyes and placed her hands on the hilt, as if she were holding the Blade of Verdant Wind. An invisible current of wind propelled her high into the air, allowing her to shear downward as she evaded the beast’s attack... Clang!

The blade entered its skull from above. With that single strike, a high-level Spirit Grade beast was effortlessly cleaved in two, showering blood like a sudden downpour. The girl didn't spare it a glance. Her cold eyes focused on the battlefield below. Swish! The Blade of Verdant Wind let out a piercing cry as it shot through the air.

The trajectory of the Blade of Verdant Wind led directly to where Long Wanxuan was fighting. The girl, beloved by the wind, was driven by its impetus into the melee at unmatched speed. Before the beasts could even react, the keen edge of the blade slashed toward an enemy who was mid-swing, about to crush Long Wanxuan with a punch... There was no suspense; accompanied by the howl of the wind, the giant beast’s two arms were severed.

Amidst the beast's agonizing shriek, blood erupted like a fountain.

"It's you!" Seeing this, Long Wanxuan was overwhelmed with mixed feelings of shock and joy. She had been single-handedly holding off more than a dozen peak Spirit Grade opponents and was on the verge of collapse. If not for her unique innate ability providing support, she would have certainly been defeated and killed within five minutes without immediate aid. Læi’s arrival was truly a blessing in disguise.

Long Wanxuan knew a bit about Læi. Although the girl's sudden ability surprised her, she couldn't afford to dwell on it now. Heartened, her attacks grew fiercer. Her slender wrist flicked outward, unleashing a golden light that instantly vaporized the severed arms of the giant beast’s head.

She was not fighting in her massive dragon form. From the very start, she had engaged in human form. This wasn't due to a preference for the humanoid shape; at her level of power, the difference in size had little bearing on combat prowess. Moreover, facing so many enemies, engaging in her hundred-meter dragon form would make her too obvious a target.

With Læi’s powerful intervention, Long Wanxuan immediately felt the pressure ease. She retreated from the center of the melee, waved her hands, and swept five peak-level combatants away. "I leave the rest to you!"

Læi had no time to reply, for upon her entrance, she, too, became the focus of the beasts’ assault. A total of six peak Spirit Grade behemoths attacked her simultaneously. Their immense bodies projected an oppressive aura of sheer terror.

Læi’s gaze sharpened. Before the enemies could close in, the Blade of Verdant Wind shot out, moving like lightning. Amid flashing blade light, it pierced straight through one beast, then returned to strike at the others... As the fresh reinforcement, Læi’s current combat strength surpassed even Long Wanxuan's. Her elusive speed and terrifying offensive power allowed her to handle six equally matched foes with ease.

In less than a moment, she had slain three peak Spirit Grade beasts. However, the enemies were not weaklings. The initial success was due to the element of surprise. Once the foes gained a slight understanding of her fighting style, they ceased their reckless charges and began to surround her in a disciplined pattern. In addition, the remaining peak Spirit Grade beasts advanced toward her position. The fight again devolved into one against six. Though not losing ground, achieving the previous swift victories was no longer possible, leading to a subtle stalemate.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Rin's own battle had commenced. To maintain sufficient combat power, she had refrained from immediately diving into the fight, instead focusing on preparations for various spells. Once her preparations were complete, noticing that Long Wanxuan no longer required assistance and Læi was holding her own against the enemies, Rin immediately rushed toward other sectors.

Although Læi’s appearance had slightly tilted the balance of the battle, overall, they were still at a severe disadvantage. Most of the dragons were already faltering under the relentless onslaught of the giant beasts.

"This won't do..." Rin knew she had to do something to turn the tide. The only way her abilities could salvage the situation was through one specific method. "I might die this time, but... watching this and doing nothing would be worse than death!"

Utilizing her magic’s concealment capabilities, the girl easily slipped into the absolute center of the battlefield. She held over a dozen gems in her hands. With a carefree smile, she crushed every single one. Instantly, an overwhelmingly vast amount of magical energy flooded into her body. Simultaneously, blood seeped from the corner of her mouth—a clear sign that the magical power had surpassed her body's capacity limit, causing internal injury. This was unsurprising, as every single one of these gems was a Grade 7 jewel!

"Come forth... Glorious Empire!" Surpassing her limits once more, Rin activated her Reality Marble. A world composed of a riot of colorful, dazzling gems descended upon the battlefield.

This sudden development stunned everyone, and in that fleeting moment of shock, the bombardment of the Jewel Empire began... The map-wide assault, composed entirely of Grade 7 gems, exceeded the power of any single combatant on the field, capable of opposing an entire army alone. In mere seconds, more than a dozen high-level Spirit Grade beasts were blasted into dust. Worse yet for the beasts, the dragons, far from being harmed, were bathed in the light of the magic, their injuries healing at a visible rate. This phenomenon caused them elation, and they immediately unleashed their full counterattack.

Pfft!

However, Rin, the source of this power, was deathly pale, coughing up bright red blood. Though the engagement lasted only mere seconds, her power encompassed nearly two-thirds of the battlefield. The strain was immense. Her body, already damaged by the magical influx, suffered another grievous blow, nearly causing her to lose consciousness.

"No... If I collapse now... it would be too humiliating. I am a genius magus; how could I be struck down within my own world?" Rin gritted her teeth, forcibly maintaining her almost shattered consciousness. With a wave of her slender hand, the Jewel Empire launched its second bombardment.

For a magus, using a Reality Marble incurred repulsion from the world, limiting its duration to a few brief seconds. But for Rin, such a limitation did not exist. This was their world; the world revolved around them. As the master of this domain, how could the world possibly reject her? Yet, precisely because of this, Rin's use of the Reality Marble was exceptionally perilous. Even without the world's repulsion, her physical body could not withstand the massive surge of power. Deprived of natural bodily safeguards like the sensation of 'pain,' she risked instant death from prolonged use of the Marble.

But for the victory of this battle, Rin had already resolved to stake everything. Ignoring the agony that threatened to crush her, disregarding the blood vessels visibly bulging, about to burst from the magical inflation, she forcibly heightened the Marble’s intensity to its absolute limit, launching a ferocious suppression upon the enemy.

Rin’s field control ability, save for the lack of enemy power reduction, was nearly comparable to Nero’s Golden Theater. With her assistance, the dragons shed their prior lethargy and began a fierce counteroffensive. Dragon Breath and Dragon Might were unleashed concurrently, delivering potent physical and magical attacks. Combined with the bombardment from the Jewel Empire, the giant beasts fell one after another, gradually turning the tide back from the absolute disadvantage.

The giant beasts, which had previously enjoyed absolute dominance, were naturally unwilling to be routed. Upon realizing Rin was the central figure, massive swarms of them charged toward her. However, the dragons were clearly not going to allow that. Hundreds of dragons instantly surrounded Rin, forming an impenetrable defense, swearing to block the enemy onslaught to the death.

At this moment, Rin was kneeling on the ground, her face so pale it lacked all human color, continuously spitting blood. Blood even started to seep faintly from her body. But her tenacious will refused to let go of maintaining the Reality Marble despite the pain. "Just a little longer... just a little longer... please, my body..." Rin bit her lip, struggling to keep her consciousness tethered.

While Rin struggled within the confines of her Marble, outside, Læi and Long Wanxuan were also mired in desperate fighting. Although their side possessed superior individual strength, their numbers were too few. Not to mention that Long Wanxuan was already near her limit when Læi arrived to help. Moreover, Læi, lacking a Contractor, bore an enormous burden in her weaponized form. Besieged by numerous peak-level foes, suffering from internal and external pressures, she was gradually beginning to lose ground.

Watching companions torn apart and die around her tore at her heart. Though she desperately wanted to render aid, she couldn't break free from the encircling enemies. Distraction even caused her to be struck several times, nearly shattering the Blade of Verdant Wind...

"This can't go on, I must..." A look of fierce resolution flashed in the girl's eyes. The Blade of Verdant Wind struck out with full force, unleashing a crescent blade of light that pushed the enemies back. Seizing that brief window, she flew rapidly upward, closed her eyes, and chanted: "The distant future entrusted to hope and ruin, our oath transcends time and space, meeting here, let this sky break, let this land split, the power gathered here—Heaven Rend, Earth Split!"

No longer were her words gentle. At this moment, the girl's clear voice resonated across the entire battlefield. As her words faded, the Blade of Verdant Wind, which had been barely a meter long, instantly transformed into a colossal blade dozens of meters in length... The girl’s phantom stood suspended in the void, her slender right hand resting on the hilt, her gaze stern, while the Blade of Verdant Wind stood upright, its chillingly sharp edge emitting an imposing aura that dared not be gazed upon directly.

Undoubtedly, she had lifted her Regulator!

The Seven-Colored Sacred Tree possessed a Regulator that limited their power. Only when the Regulator was lifted could they unleash a power akin to calamity. Naturally, as a calamity, it wounded both the self and others, carrying severe side effects; a single misstep could lead to self-destruction.

Læi had lifted the Regulator once before in the Ediru Garden, but at that time, firstly, Lin Luo had intentionally controlled the release of power, and secondly, she was unfamiliar with the process, so it did not reach its ultimate intensity. But now, without Lin Luo’s restraint, coupled with the boost from the Heart of the World, once the Regulator was released, that catastrophic power erupted like a mountain flood.

"Heaven Rend, Earth Split!" the girl cried out sweetly, pointing downward with her hand. The colossal Blade of Verdant Wind descended from the sky with an unstoppable momentum. Where the blade passed, the air was utterly torn apart. Peak Spirit Grade beastmen were pulverized like tofu, and even the earth itself was cleaved in two.

This strike truly held the might to cleave heaven and split the earth!

Even with the beasts’ fearless hardiness, they were stunned into immobility by Læi’s attack. In that moment of stupefaction, the girl initiated a ruthless slaughter. Wielding the immense Blade of Verdant Wind, she charged and rammed through the enemy ranks. A horizontal slash painted the sky red with blood; a vertical chop cracked the ground apart... She was like an apocalyptic weapon, utterly unstoppable, unmatched by anything!

At this moment, looking at the Blade of Verdant Wind shimmering with a dark, eerie light, everyone felt their own insignificance, as if it were the true sovereign reigning over this world! In this instant, she was the protagonist!

"But this isn't enough... I won't let you continue... I must protect this world!" The girl murmured with a stern face, swinging the Blade of Verdant Wind once more to charge the enemy.

Contractor: Lefly Mefistofeles Body Strength: Mental Strength: Heart of the World: Azure Heart (Number Twenty, Form: Shadowless, Formless) Heart of the World Level: Initial Heart Overall Strength Level: Earth Grade Beginner. RO