Relestia found herself face to face with a creature most unlike anything she had seen before. This… ‘thing’ had the most human expressions that she had ever seen on a beast. Clutching her sword tightly, she waited for it to expose a weakness. The first rule of battling an unknown enemy is to learn of its attack patterns before recklessly engaging. Most veterans can deal with attacks that are sudden and unexpected. After all, despite the huge variety of weapons, skills, or magic that are out there, those are things that had been identified before and experienced fighters could tell with one look on how to react properly. But if it is something that no one had seen before, it could become deadly real fast. Relestia knows she must force out as many of this unknown creature’s moves as she could before she got hit by one of them.

The beast squares off the girl cautiously as well. It had not known anyone to resist the terrible madness it oozes. It is a gift from its god, how dare a mere mortal remain untainted?

The moment it struck, Relestia knew that she cannot hold back at all. She has no choice but to exhaust the Ki she had been saving up now.

The beast launched itself at her with its horns. There are six twisted horns on its head, two pointed upwards, two arched to the back, and two curved downwards.

Relestia felt a powerful pull towards the danger. Something is whispering in her ears that she should poke her own eyes out on the horns. The thought creeped her out and she warily jumped back in fright. This enemy will not be conquered with the blade alone. The true test will be on the mental level.

After dodging the charge, she instinctively attacked with her sword, but the thin blade bounced off the scaled feline body. Instead, the creature turned with the momentum and tried to kick her with its hooves.

The princess felt a sharp pain across her face even as the strike missed. Just the physical force it had demonstrates just how unscientific this creature is. It definitely is not something to be expected in a lower realm like Axis Mundi.

However, the attack is not merely physical. At this time, Relestia felt a swirl in the air and her body seemed to float upwards as though the ground can no longer hold her firmly.

Gravity had turned chaotic.

Then, a disarray of bad smells wafted over and disorientated her, but the worst was an enveloping dark mana that wanted to shred her to pieces.

Relestia felt the world spin as her senses were sent reeling. She caught herself quickly, and it was just in time too as tiny droplets of slime were shot at her.

When the princess saw the result on the ground where she had jumped away from, her pupils shrunk with fear. It wasn’t poisonous or acidic, but still extremely dangerous because part of the wall crumbled after being slimed together with the floor.

The slime is frighteningly viscous, if she was hit by it, it is the end for her.

To handle this, Relestia did not hide her cards anymore. A shimmering translucent figure flickered into existence above her even as her eyes became sparkling pale blue. The water elements in the air turned lively. Even though this place does not have Heavenly Energies, there are still water elements around. They danced around the incarnation excitedly like children and protected Relestia.

Instantly, the chaotic mire around seemed to be purified. Not completely, but enough for her to focus.

The princess silently thanked Triteia, her contracted Greater Water Spirit. Protecting Relestia from the devil possession had left Triteia in a weakened comatose state, but the elemental reawaken after Kairos had exorcised the devil and had been steadily regaining power.

The Elementals are a peaceful race that will hardly consider showing themselves unless summoned and therefore no one realised that the princess never fought alone.

Besides granting her closer affinity to the water elements, the Greater Water Spirit grants her access to its repertoire of abilities and sometimes acts as an energy source. Of course, being contracted with Relestia also grants the elemental benefits so the advantages work both ways. The cunning beast knows not to attack recklessly and backed off. Like the princess, it had been fishing out her moves.

Despite being surprised by the creature’s intelligence, Relestia did not hesitate to make her next move. The time earned from the creature’s caution let her summon yet another being. Her dark brown hair turned into the colour of gleaming gold with the ends quickly becoming crimson red as though they are soaked in blood. Relestia’s eyes turned yellow like a large cat’s and glowed with majesty. Thinking that Triteia alone is not enough to fight off this creature, she had awakened her contract beast sleeping within her, the legendary Nemean Lion. By fusing with it, she is temporarily given its powers. The princess felt an immense strength flow through her and at the same time her skin turned impervious to blades and fire as the lion’s coat.

A dangerous presence befell this place. The chimera creature that sows death and madness froze like it had plunged into a frozen lake. Something terrible has laid its eyes on it, ready to tear it apart if it makes any sudden movement. The creature shivered as it felt a suppression of the bloodline like a lesser beast would when facing a powerful predator.

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Regardless of what it had become, it cannot stand up to a legendary beast that came from beyond the mortal realm.

The wretched creature let out a woeful cry from its throat. It has lost almost all of its humanity and has now become a creature of instinct. The oppressive scent of something that could tear it apart is making it lose its mind. Fortunately, the presence disappeared just as it was about to turn crazed with fear and it immediately lunged at Relestia with all it had. It is a vicious creature and would kill at first chance. At the same time, the beast shrieks out a cry for help. It has five other brothers in this dungeon that serves the same god. The two that were closest, the tree man and the insect, quickly heeded to the summon. Just one of them is enough to make Relestia feel like she has to fight with all her might. Having two more join in will her leave no chance for escape.

The princess defended against the lunging beast expertly with her thin sword, but a supernatural strength that seemed to bypass the laws of physics forced her back. By all rights, since she diverted the force, she should only deal with a fraction of the blow, but the princess spat out a mouthful of blood like she had been hammered by a battling ram directly.

This battle is not rational at all. The damage bypassed her Nemean Lion’s protection and broke most of her rib bones. If it is not because she had been practicing the Origin External Cultivation Method, even her spine would have been broken by that force.

Relestia had sparred with Kairos before and had experienced the strength of the External Cultivators. Moreover, Kairos’ physique is equal to the weakest of immortals, which is still beyond most mortals despite everything. Yet, this creature is striking her with a strength above even that.

The princess could tell that the creature is actually weaker than Kairos physically, but there is something else that is unnatural at work here. Like… it is resisting the rules that frames this world. No, she concluded, this fight definitely cannot be treated logically. The chaos that shall ensue is a deeper pit than she thought.

The princess slowly got up and as she stood, the water elements in the air flooded madly into her. In an instant, her wounds mended but a large portion of power were drained in exchange. The fight is going south rather quickly but her eyes burned with a gleam of happiness as the spirit to face challenges in her awoken.

Relestia felt her blood stirring like a sleeping dragon that is just roaring to life. She always had someone there to catch her should she fails. Whether it is Kairos who’s there, or her father the emperor back in Gaia, she had always felt safe, even when she fought against an army.

This time, things are different. She has a real possibility of dying… yet the petite princess held her sword tighter. The stubbornness inside of her is refusing to budge. No, she can fight it off herself. She will not be a helpless damsel but the heroine that cuts down all evil in her path.

Her thin long sword trembled in her hands, but it was not from fear. The princess has overloaded her weapon with her Ki. The cold steel glinted dangerously as it reverberated with a screech.

Around three minutes away, the small band of dungeon divers are racing to help her but further away are the tree man and insect person that are quickly overtaking with an aberrant speed that begs explanation.

…..

The Outer Gods, like their namesake, came from beyond Axis Mundi and as such, they arguably fall within Aisa’s restrictions to deal with. Unfortunately, that particular presence that brought about the six abominations did not stay for long. As for its minions, because those who serves the Outer God are not at a level beyond this world’s upper power limit, they too are not something the dragon could deal with. So, Kairos can only speed up towards the dungeon with great haste.

The three dragonlings are all with Relestia, but Aisa could communicate with them across the distance, so the moment he felt that something was off, he had already asked but the only response was a confirmation of Aisa’s speculation that a minion of the Outer Gods is here.

Thinking back at how dangerous it was when he fought with the devil-possessed, Kairos felt his hair stood on ends to think of Relestia’s situation. When Kairos arrived by the dungeon gate, he did not hesitate to enter, but at this moment a stranger’s arm barred his way.

“The dungeon is closed today,” a thin and frail bespectacled young man stopped Kairos with a no-nonsense tone of voice.

On both Axis Mundi and Gaia, there are people who wear vision corrective lenses around, but because of the presence of magic or Heavenly Energies, the numbers who need it are few and mostly civilians. Of course, there are exceptions, like some powerful warriors that had to wear glasses because of an injury.

“A human, telling others what to do in a dwarven city?”

The young man frowned and said, “I am an official of the city management. Now, can I tell you what to do? I repeat, the dungeon is closed today, please leave.”

At this time, a girl came out from the side and stood next to the official. Kairos had been in a hurry and did not notice there is another person until she came out, but he recognised her instantly. This is the burly merchant’s daughter, the one that Leo called the girlie. He saved her whole family from the hands of bandits. Bandits that are sent by a rich man’s son who was besotted with her.

Later on, the girlie joined a group of young men and women to entrap him, challenging him to a rigged gamble of magical creatures’ eggs. Although they failed, it made Kairos realise that she had a tendency to frolic with the rich and powerful, and he suspected that the rich man’s son might be spurred on. The girlie might not be so innocent after all.

Afterwards, the gnomes kidnapped her, thinking they could use it against Kairos, but when they were so utterly beaten, they released the girlie quietly, pretending that it never happened.

Since then, Kairos had not seen her until today.

For their unexpected reunion, he did the best possible thing in this situation, “My friend is in the dungeon, and I have no time to waste with you. Let me through or I will bust through myself.”

His voice was chilling, and his eyes are sharper than any knives. The girlie did not expect to be completely ignored. Not even a word of concern about where she had been all this time.

Furthermore, Kairos, Relestia, Leo, and Linda often have dinner with her parents, so it is even more disappointing that Kairos will show no concern for her.

The bespectacled man did not respond. Instead, he pulled out a kite shield that covers his full body and a long one-handed lance that gleamed dangerously.

In a world of might and magic, lancers are deadly with or without a horse. They can run their weapon through a full-armoured knight as easily on foot as they are charging down the battlefield. Kairos did not slight this man despite the ridiculous gear he is using and his frail-looking stature.

Still, he did not consider this person as a worthy opponent.

The person laughed, “You have someone to save, don’t you? Too bad, I cannot bend the rules for you, but when it reopens you can go in and collect the body.”

…..