Lilith's mind raced as she thought through multiple scenarios, searching for the quickest and most efficient way to free herself from this situation. Yet, no matter how hard she focused, her thoughts felt sluggish, like trying to wade through thick mud. What should have taken her a fraction of a second to process was now taking her three, sometimes even five times that. It may not have seemed like much, but in a life-or-death situation, that delay was a gap as vast as heaven and earth.

"N...Not...G...Good," she managed to mutter, her breath slow and labored, her mind slipping further into lethargy.

"A bit hard to think, isn’t it?" Mael asked, his voice calm, almost casual as he stood before her with his hands clasped behind his back. "Ivy, she's a little special that one." Slowly, he glanced off into the distance, as if recalling something before refocusing his attention on Lilith, who had ceased her efforts to escape.

"But then again, aren’t we all?" He continued.

"Ivy’s aura," his tone conversational, "is one of the most corrosive I’ve ever encountered. Her methods are quite... unique. First, she clouds the senses, then she drains the blood essence, and finally, she attacks the soul...all of this, in blinding speeds." His lips curled into a broad, handsome smile. "Quite terrifying, wouldn’t you say?"

Suddenly his smile changed into a deep frown followed by a dark chuckle, "I suppose you're right" Mael said guiltily. "I do speak enough for the both of us." His laughter echoed in the air.

Lilith's face grew distant, her eyes glazing over as if her mind had drifted elsewhere, while her golden hair fluttered aimlessly in the wind.

Khalifa, who had been seated quietly on Meal's broad shoulder the entire time, couldn't take it anymore. Her small, delicate fingers gently tapped him as her soft voice broke the silence. "Young Master Mael?" Her tone was as light as a whisper, and her eyes, looking slightly downward as if holding back a flood of emotions. "When you're done with her... could you give her corpse to me? Please?" A single tear, warm and glittering, slipped from her eye, tracing a path down her perfect cheek.

Mael, who had been in a good mood, glanced at her, his mood seemingly untouched by the gravity of her request. With a casual flick of his wrist, as though dismissing a trivial matter, he granted her wish. "Her corpse is yours. Say no more."

Khalifa's eyes sparkled with a dangerous glint as she barely restrained herself from leaping into the air with joy. Instead, she composed herself quickly, clearing her throat with a soft cough and brushing a bit of imaginary dust off her sleek, dark clothing, which clung perfectly to her seductive figure.

“Many thanks, Young Master,” Khalifa replied, a deep smile curling at the edges of her lips.

Suddenly, soft, broken laughter came from Lilith. “A… w-woman… who b-begs... is no woman at all.”

Mael’s eyebrow lifted, his attention now fixed on her, watching with a curious expression.

“If you want something... you take it!” Lilith's voice surged with renewed strength, cutting through the air with raw power. The massive trees below groaned and twisted, their leaves withering as if drained by her sudden burst of energy. Ivy, who had been nonchalantly playing with her clone, snapped her head toward Lilith, her eyes wide with shock. Her pupils, which had returned to normal, shrank in disbelief.

“She’s circulating her qi? But how?” Ivy stammered, her face flushing with both surprise and anger. “My technique should’ve immobilized her completely. That’s impossible!”

Ivy’s rage boiled over as her fists clenched.

“You...”

Lilith's mocking voice cut her off, her tone dripping with venom. “Your little friend in the back, the purple mutt—maybe you should’ve taken his words a bit more seriously, you overconfident swine.”

“Purple mutt?” Syne raised an eyebrow, his voice laced with mild confusion. “What did I do?” Lilith's lips curled into a grin, her expression sinister.

“Seal… Break.”

Though her words carried no detectable energy, the atmosphere around her began to shift. The grin on her face widened just as a tidal wave of rich, silver energy erupted from her body, cascading outward in all directions. The very air seemed to tremble under the pressure of her unleashed power, rippling with force. A blinding silver aura surged forth, flooding the space around her, so bright and intense that it forced everyone present to shield their eyes, whether consciously or instinctively.

Mael, standing closest, remained motionless however. His large figure anchored like an unyielding pillar as the gale-force winds generated by her whipped at his long hair and clothing, the faintest glimmer of interest twinkling in his eyes.

The once-purple webbing that had ensnared Lilith just moments ago began to violently turn and twist. The sharp, pulsating qi bursting from her body tore into it like blades, the sticky, entangling threads whipping frantically in all directions before being shredded entirely. Each strand that snapped under the strain was sent flying, disintegrating in the onslaught of her raw energy.

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Gone was the image of a helpless, bound figure. Lilith now hovered midair, a living embodiment of power and wrath. Her beauty stunning—her once radiant, golden hair had been utterly replaced with sleek strands of pure silver-white. They flowed around like a river of moonlight, shimmering with an otherworldly brilliance. Her eyes, once golden, now blazed with a deadly scarlet, cold and unforgiving, as though the weight of endless fury lay behind them.

Mael, witnessing Lilith's sudden surge of power, felt his pulse quicken. A grin, wild and unrestrained, spread across his face. “Now that’s what I’m talking about!” With a sharp intake of breath, Mael pushed against the air beneath him, launching himself forward with blistering speed, leaving after images in his wake. Khalifa falling off his shoulder as a result. His hand became engulfed in a dark, swirling aura of black and purple, crackling with furious power as his claws extended. His gaze locked onto Lilith, fierce and predatory.

Lilith who's own were cold and focused, wasted no time. With a flick of her wrist, her massive 8-foot katana materialized in her right hand, its blade resonating with her qi, pulsating as it was enveloped in a thick sheath of radiant silver energy. The air around the weapon hummed with raw power.

“Crescent Strike,” she muttered under her breath, her voice soft but commanding.

With a swift, upward diagonal slash, her katana met Mael’s incoming clawed hand in a violent collision. The force of their clash sent a rippling shockwave through the realm, creating a small but noticeable crack in the void itself. Time seemed to slow for an instant as their immense energies met, the sheer magnitude of the impact pushing both of them back ever so slightly.

But neither hesitated.

In a blink, they vanished, only to reappear in another location clashing with great strength. Each clash sent ripples through the sky, their figures blurring as they moved faster than the eye could follow. Craters formed beneath them, the very earth crumbling and giving way under the pressure of their attacks. The void itself strained under the weight of their power, cracks splintering through space like fragile glass.

From above, Mael descended with terrifying force, both hands clenched together, laced with the crushing power of his Gravity Law. His intent was unmistakable—he aimed to obliterate her, to crush her under his attack. The very air screamed as he hurled downward like a meteor.

Lilith, catching his movement out of the corner of her eye, smirked. Her grip tightened on her Silver Light Blade as she whispered, her voice calm, “Eternal Moon Dance.”

With a graceful yet lethal thrust, she pushed her blade upward to meet Mael’s descent. Her feet remained firmly planted on the fractured earth, bracing for the impact as her silver qi surged through her weapon, illuminating the battlefield with a dazzling glow as thousands of blade strikes thrusted forward from Lilith's one attack

Clang!

The moment their attacks collided, the sound of metal against metal echoed throughout the realm, reverberating like thunder. A tremendous shockwave exploded between them, hurling them apart as both warriors skidded backward, temporarily separated by the force of their exchange.

Lilith's eyes flickered open, her breath steady, her body alive, Across from her, Mael stood unshaken, his grin widening with each passing second as he floated calm, a few inches above the destroyed floor. The dark aura that dripped from his palms twisted with purple sparks, dancing like hungry embers in the air around him.

Without a word, Mael’s palm shot forward, fast, even for Lilith. A violent surge of chaotic energy ripped through the atmosphere, the sheer force of his attack bending the very earth beneath it, leaving a jagged path of destruction in its wake. The ground cracked and buckled, torn apart by the sheer weight of his power.

Lilith's instincts kicked in. With a swift movement, she raised her katana, its radiant silver glow flashing brilliantly as it connected with the incoming blast. Sparks exploded on impact, and with a deft twist of her wrist, she redirected the attack, sending the torrent of dark energy crashing to her left. The ground quaked as it tore through the forest, obliterating trees and vegetation in a violent burst of destruction.

Her eyes narrowed, taking in the strange nature of Mael’s energy. "His attacks," she thought, her mind racing. "They’re... off. It's his Gravity Law—there’s always something between my blade and him, even his attacks. Some kind of barrier that I can’t break through. Every time I strike, the distance between us stretches, like the space itself is bending around him, pushing me away. It's infuriating."

Mael stood tall, his gaze unwavering as he watched her struggle. His grin never faded. "Is that really all you’ve got?" he taunted, his voice dripping with mockery. "The twelfth daughter of a dead king... and this is the best she can muster? What a disappointment."