"I am the Retributive Knight Latonai, Protector of Corrin!"

The giant sword in Latonai's hands emanated a terrifying pressure within the gravitational domain. It locked in place those he deemed as an enemies while pushing away those who were not. But unlike before, Yulaiah's light was no longer crippled by the authority that Latonai wielded. The shred of authority that Corrin had given him could not shackle the authority of a nascent ascendant. But it did not matter. At this moment, Latonai had his eyes trained on Cheyulah and Valerya.

It was only a few moments ago that he was still conflicted on what he should do. On the one hand, he was the Protector of Corrin. On the other, he just wanted to avenge his daughter. It did not matter that she was not killed by Yulaiah's own hands. All he knew was that she remained in Melchior because of his interference. If not for Yulaiah, then Verglas would have already brought Sairen to him and he would have at least been able to protect her, however much he could. If she still died, then her blood was on his hands. But that was not the case.

He was so incredibly tempted to forsake his oath, all for the sake of resting his seething and aching heart. He realised it was not simply for her sake that he was furious. It was because of the guilt he felt knowing that he had been incredibly lacking as a father. He was the strongest man in Corrin. And yet his daughter felt more at ease living far away from him. What was this if not proof of his failure, of his inadequacies. That was all this was, to soothe what remained of his broken and injured pride. And yet he heard words that he never expected to hear from the man he now knew was never from this world to begin with, was among the invaders he was sworn to kill.

"You have already slain Lua. To bring her back with the sacrifice of Corrin is the height of arrogance and hedonism. You are not gods. Let the worlds be at peace!"

These words were all he needed to hear to understand the situation. Corrin was not only dying. It was in the process of being brutally murdered, ravaged to the very core of its being. And this man whose blood would have quenched his thirst for vengeance, he stood alone, fighting to protect a world that was not his own.

Let the worlds be at peace!

Was this not also what he wanted? Was this not also the creed of the Weltsritter? Was this not the gift he had always wished to give to his dearest daughter? What would she think should he forsake his oath for vengeance? Would her leaving his side be any more torturous than it already is? Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that the only reason his daughter could even live carefreely away from him was because she had always trusted her father to protect her, to protect the world she was in. And that was why it hurt even more to fail her.

Faith is truly such a fickle thing. But sometimes, it was this faith that kept those who carried their burden moving. It was what gave them purpose. Take that away from them, and they shall be freed... to do whatever they wanted, whether to spiral down into an abyss or to search for a new purpose. Latonai... did not really need to choose, for there had always been just one thing he knew how to do.

Fight.

The army of clones melted back into a flowing stream of liquid light, scattering all over the gravitational domain. Some of it rushed toward Latonai, coating his giant sword and granting him a portion of Yulaiah's power. Yulaiah might not be able to personally deal with Cheyulah and Valerya, but he could at least aid Latonai while keeping an eye on the entire battlefield. Even now, he knew that they were not out of danger yet. Uriah's presence made that perfectly clear. He would not be able to change anything, but he would still try.

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Latonai's giant sword was like a reaver of titans come to take what is due. He swung down with all his aching heart, unleashing an attack like never before. It made his prior attack against Yulaiah seem like a joke. The sheer intensity of the gravity he unleashed bent the very space around him, nearly destroying his own domain. But before it could, the attack vanished. It was devoured by the light that coated his sword, but he did not panic. It was only an instant, but he could tell the terrifying power that was about to come.

From all the scattered liquid light, a terrifying pressure descended. It was the very same attack that Latonai had released, but it came from everywhere. The entire domain became a field of utter destruction as everything within it seemed to collapse. The power of Latonai's attack did not decrease whatsoever even as it was unleashed from multiple different places. The Infinity of Yulaiah's light was simply beyond such restrictions.

The liquid light encapsulated the domain, keeping all the destruction within it. Yulaiah did not need to worry about Latonai. The man would not die from this kind of power. But Vivi and the few surviving soldiers of the Concord that still have not been able to get far away would have been caught up in it. When everything settled within the domain, the light dispersed to reveal the aftermath.

Besides Latonai, the only other two people within the domain looked like they were about to collapse. Valerya, especially, was so injured that she could not even stand anymore. Down on one knee, blood dripped from every part of her body. But they did not pool beneath her. Instead, they swirled around her figure protectively as though anticipating another round of attacks that would surely kill her. Somewhere in the distance, hidden behind a veil of illusion, a small voice whispered in sadness.

"Mother..."

It was unintentional, a light slip that no one should have heard amidst the chaos, but still someone heard. Vivi's soft and tearful whisper was like a blaring siren that attracted the attention of the wolves as a beast immediately lunged at her. Savage claws glinted with bloodlust as it streaked across the air aiming for something hidden behind the lies of reality. Its trajectory was Vivi's head. She was shocked at the sudden attack and tried to evade, but her reaction came too late. The claw was so close now, just a single breath away. It was at that moment that light burst out of her body.

The liquid light blocked the claw and held it tightly while transforming into another clone of Yulaiah's. But there was something different about this one. While the other clones seemed like mere puppets, this one seemed exceptionally real and alive. Its two eyes seemed to contain his will, the very core of his being, that blazed with cold rage. His hand tightly held the claws that came to strike Vivi as he stared at the beast that turned its fangs at them.

"I knew not to trust you. From the moment I sensed your presence in the Trustad Plains, I knew you were treacherous beast. Is that why you weren't there during the beast tide? Did you want your own city to fall to other beasts? I thought beasts were territorial, but it looks like you only have their savagery.... No, even those beasts were not as savage as you."

Before Yulaiah stood a feral and savage beast in human flesh. No one knew his name, but they all called him the Divine Fist of Fury, Master of the Guild. From the moment that he did not appear during the beast tide, Yulaiah had always had a bad impression of him. Meeting him in the Trustad Plains only raised the alarm bells in his mind. They were warning him of something that he had yet to understand at the time. And now, he found that his preparation was just right.

This clone that he had left with Vivi was, in fact, not a clone. It was another body he had created with his light. If they were to look at his titanic form in the sky above, they would find that he only had one eye remaining on his face. The other two were on this other body. This was the insurance he had put in place, but he knew that even this would not be enough. Even now, he could see Uraiah watching everything. Even now, his heart felt the undeniable dread that had been overwhelming him since he began his journey here. And even now...

A warm spatter touched the back of Yulaiah's neck.

It accompanied a heart-wrenching sound, a small whimper. Yulaiah felt his entire body go cold as he turned his head to look behind him. The first thing he saw was Vivi's face with a regretful smile. Her hands trembling as she reached out to touch his face.