Wilas opened his mouth to speak once more, but…

BANG!

A heavy sword swung from the Sword Monstress' back, landing on the stones grounds of the tower's floors.

Despite the heft of the sword, not a single mark was left behind. But no one doubted the strength of the Sword Monstress due to this.

The broad sword vibrated wildly upon impact as though looking to launch itself out from the hands of the Sword Monstress as she faced Wilas.

When the sword appeared, Jilniya's gaze narrowed.

Wilas stood just under three meters before the Sword Monstress. But, due to the outrageous length of the massive sword, it clanged before him, just a mere foot or two away. In fact, it seemed to be aimed between his legs, leaving him feeling a slight chill.

However, what Wilas felt wasn't fear. The process had been slow enough for him to witness the start to the end without issue. To a warrior on his level, it hadn't been a problem to see it all. The issue was that… his heart still felt a slight trepidation.

It was a warning.

Wilas, though, had every intention of lashing out. Not only was it important for them to know the limits of this figure, but it was also a matter of his face. Where would he put it if he were to back off now? Especially since he was the one who started all of this. owns all content.

"It seems that --."

Just when Wilas wanted to say more, he suddenly sensed a figure appear by his side.

The contrast between this figure and the hulking, black robed figure before them was too striking.

Jilniya was a goddess in the eyes of many. She had a small, soft waist, flowing black hair, and a flawless complexion that seemed sculpted by the hands of a master. Though she was lacking in comparison to Heira, this seemed to be due to lack of a mature and refined temperament rather than a shortcoming of her own looks.

All of this alone would have been enough to capture many hearts. But, the way her white robes hung to her curves captured the soul. And, whether by design or coincidence, the way her sky blue soft armor cupped her chest and accentuated her slender legs only made more imaginations run wild.

The moment she appeared, most directly forgot about Wilas and what he had been planning to do. To them, there was no better entertainment than a beauty, even if she only stood there and did nothing else.

In a corner to his own, having reunited with the members of his Black City, Jerach was enthralled. He only barely managed to stop himself from whistling.

It was fine if he teased a weak woman, but if he teased someone like Jilniya… Well, let's just say he didn't have any fantasies of being castrated any time soon.

"What are you doing --?"

Jilniya all but ignored Wilas. But, it was difficult to get angry at a beauty, so Wilas only shook his head and let her do as she pleased.

"That sword." Jilniya said coldly, looking from the tip of the blade that reverberated against the ground to the shadowy figure. "I received reports from my subordinate cities that several massacres had occurred. The perpetrator was a woman with a hunched back, dressed in black robes, and wielding a great sword. That was you?"

A shocked silence overcame everyone.

The first thing that caught them by surprise was the word 'woman'. It was hard to connect the hulking figure before them with the fairer sex.

But, after that sunk in, they recognized the word massacre.

You mean to tell them that someone actually slaughtered their way through World's End Falls territory? And even dared to come to Brave City right afterward?

They couldn't decide whether this person was brave or just stupid.

At this point, it didn't even matter whether Jilniya's words were true or not. When it came to matters like this, whoever held the most strength would be the one in the right. And, it seemed now that not only had this Sword Monstress angered Wilas with her disregard, but she had also enranged Jilniya by slighting the Power behind her.

No matter how others looked at it, this would end incredibly badly for this cloaked figure.

Still, despite the young Heiress' pointed questions, the Sword Monstress still didn't respond. The reverberations of her sword sung through the tower's first floor as though acting as her reply.

'If you're dissatisfied, just come', it seemed to say.

…

At that very moment, Leonel stood before the Dark Abode, shaking his head.

He turned his head toward the looming numbers in the distance and sighed again.

0:0:8:39

Considering his location, it wouldn't take him long to get to the Central Tower. But, he still felt uncomfortable cutting it so close. He wasn't sure if there would be a penalty for being late. But, considering his current situation, he didn't dare to test it out. He felt that if there was a timer, there was a reason for it being there.

Now, whether that was true or not… once again, he was unsure. But, better safe than sorry.

He was a bit regretful that he had allowed the Little Mink to enter on his own now. Unfortunately, Leonel had forgotten that the first time he watched the Little Mink evolve, the little guy had fallen into a deep sleep for several days. This was likely happening again.

'Forget it. It will take me 2 minutes and 21 seconds to make it from here to the Tower at full speed. I'll wait until 0:0:2:30 is left on the clock, then.'

Leonel felt that the little mink should be fine within the Abode. From what he knew, there was no one else capable of claiming a Dark Abode. And, even if there were, they would all be taking part in the third phase. So, everything should be fine.

Just when Leonel had made this decision, a black blur suddenly shot out from the house and barreled right into his chest. The streak was so quick that due to Leonel's absentmindedness, he didn't even notice what happened until it was too late.

"…Oof."

Leonel coughed, feeling his ribs rebound against his heart and lungs.

After a while, he laughed, looking at the bundle of fur in his arms.

"Were you trying to kill me or something?" Leonel chuckled.

"Yip! Yip!"

Leonel's lip twitched. "Why does that sound like a yes…?"

The little mink ignored Leonel's words and crawled to his favorite spot around his neck.

"Fine, fine. You win.. Alright, let's go."