Freya stared at the towering man before her, unable to believe her eyes. An unstoppable flood of questions raced through her mind in that single moment. It was ironic that something she had always dreamed of was finally happening, yet she was about to die. Someone like her, but not just anyone—Theon Avalon himself—was standing between her and the strongest Mana Drinker she had ever seen. For centuries, in her solitude, countless Mana Drinkers had tried to force their way into her Inner Sanctum, attempting something she was certain she wanted no part of. While her minions and scions thwarted their previous attempts, this one had made it this far. It had effortlessly shredded her Earth Wyrm scion, which was no small feat, and shattered the enchanted stones that had kept her safe all this time. When the monster pushed aside the Praetorians of Avalon, Freya knew the situation was dire. Even the combined strength of Balin and Sebastian wouldn’t be enough to stop it. But none of that mattered now—not with Theon Avalon standing here. All her questions boiled down to one panicked thought: Why?

"Because you are the most stubborn person I have ever met. I told you to accept my other offers, but you stubbornly insisted on getting your way," he said without looking at her as she realised she had asked it aloud. Freya knew she must have turned entirely red as she felt her cheeks burn. "In the end, I couldn't let you die just because you are stubborn, Freya. You will have it your way. Mostly..."

Freya knew precisely what he was referring to, and her burning embarrassment suddenly became more important than the monster that wanted to hurt her. But that lasted a mere moment, leaving her anxious and unable even to utter a word. She slowly paled and almost fainted, which was strange because she never had such problems since the day she was reborn in Nilmerthis. While Freya had half-joked about her fascination with Theon, she couldn't deny that he was extremely handsome and, according to the stories, a person worth befriending. While she felt flattered that he had arrived at her defence, she was worried about him. It was a fact that she had tried to help him since the day she detected his presence and learnt that he was like her. While her spies couldn't learn more about him due to his impressive countermeasures, his exploits were widely known here. He was a strong but much younger Dungeon than she was and, therefore, should have been weaker than she was. In the last fit of defiance, facing a monstrosity she couldn't hope to defeat, she bet everything on the single hope of fooling it. In the depths of the World's System, she found the option to make Theon Avalon inherit all her assets and mana, depriving the Mana Drinkers of the spoils of her death. The option itself appealed to her sense of humour, and she would have laughed if not for the perspective of painful death on the horizon. Well... In her previous life, she died as a boyfriendless nerd, too shy to even keep a conversation going, so the option of marrying Theon would definitely improve her record. Knowing that reincarnation was possible, maybe next time she wouldn't die a virgin?

"You shouldn't be here!" she cried accusingly, feeling her perfect plan was falling apart. "Everything will be in vain if you die with me as well!"

"Then we simply have to survive to salvage at least some parts of your plan, right?" he said, his amused tone leaving her speechless.

However, the monster stood motionless, uncertain of its next move. The monstrosity that had shredded its way to the heart of her Dungeon now carefully eyed Theon. Neither side wanted to make the first move, but she was certain some invisible battle was already happening between the two. The fearless defiance and cold contempt radiating from the Lord of Avalon starkly contrasted with her own fear. He wasn’t even holding a weapon, yet his sole presence was enough to keep the monster at bay.

Panic washed over her, and an unpleasantly cold shiver ran down her spine as she watched dozens of powerful Mana Drinkers entering her Inner Sanctum. Sebastian and Balin shielded her with their bodies while the Praetorians instantly lost any interest in the fight. Instead, the Royal Guards focused on eliminating the lesser Mana Drinkers, and to her surprise, she saw them successfully taking down the arrogant monsters.

"You..." the monster finally bellowed in a raspy voice. "You killed Korkas."

"I did." Theon agreed with a disappointed sigh.

"I'm not like him..."

"Yes, yes, of course..." As unbelievable as it was, Theon's voice was bored and dismissive as he sighed and lazily waved his arm. "Listen, you lowly servant. I'm not really interested in hearing your sob story about how the kids or whatever are waiting for you under that rock you call home."

She couldn't believe her ears, but clearly, Theon was provoking the monster. He was taunting it, and that was slowly working. The monstrosity snarled, baring its sharp fangs and claws. It leapt straight at Theon but dodged away at the last moment when a sword dropped from up high. The Mana Drinker would have been impaled if not for that last-moment dodge. Freya raised her head and, in shock, noticed countless swords hanging right above their heads. The monster followed her gaze and hesitated, which earned him a massive cut across his chest. Theon stood with a sword in hand, emanating a cold aura of inevitable death. Dark blood gushed from the monster's wound, thick like tar, dripping onto the marble floor of her Inner Sanctum. It was sticky and gooey, and, judging by the foul stench and the bubbling at the edges of the stain, corrosive.

Then, the two blurred in a swift exchange of blows, with the monster trying to push Theon away, but he always positioned himself between her and the creature. He had grown so much since she had last received accurate reports on him—he was nothing like the man she had imagined. Freya watched helplessly, shuddering at the sight of them exchanging blows. Though Theon was tall and muscular, compared to the Mana Drinker, he seemed almost light-framed. Yet despite that, he forced the creature onto the defensive, leaving deep wounds across its body.

In a trance, Freya watched Theon's flashing swords, his relentless chain of attacks leaving no room for any mistakes. Every move was precise; not a single strike was wasted or overly dramatic. She could feel the Mana Drinker's anger and surprise—it was cornered but far from defeated.

Suddenly, a series of bright flashes engulfed Theon, and she shrieked in horror, sensing the immense power behind the enemy spells. The air was still thick with dust when several small Arcane Bolts shot toward the dark corridor from which the enemy spells had come. Whatever they struck screamed in agony. When the dust finally settled, Theon stood unscathed, his protection barriers flashing dimly, signaling the remnants of the enemy spells being dispelled.

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Without missing a beat, Theon raised his sword again, forcing the monstrosity into a panicked retreat as a barrage of Arcane Bolts rained down, drowning everything in front of him. As soon as the attack stopped, he blinked in a blinding flash that made her eyes sting, and the Mana Drinker's painful roars filled the air. When her vision cleared, she saw the beast badly bruised and severely wounded, a sight that gave her hope.

That hope quickly spread across her mind like a tidal wave that swept aside her fears. Slowly, it dawned on her that she could fight the creature. No. That she must fight that creature. She felt a sudden wrath as she realised that the Mana Drinker must have used some kind of magic that blinded her senses and left her almost defenceless. Using all her remaining powers and heavily leaning on some unexpected support, she shredded the debuffs and magic that tried to enslave her quietly. As the spells slowly faded, Freya felt a great weight lift from her shoulders. The previously subtle support transformed into a roaring stream of blessings, buffs, and mana. She began to change rapidly and realized she had received a new class. Timidly at first, with only a moment of hesitation, she embraced her new titles. The foul power of the Mana Drinker, which had been holding her back, was completely shattered. With a quiet, almost inaudible growl of indescribable anger, Freya donned, for the first time, the armor and weapon she had prepared centuries ago but had never been able to use—until now.

•••

No plan survives a confrontation with the enemy. Especially if said enemy was just some awkward person trying to be nice. Honestly, it was refreshing to finally find someone who really had the power to rival mine and didn't want to kill me on the spot. It would have been even nicer if we could just sit and talk or just talk with each other, but instead, we had this. We were simply not allowed to have nice things, I guess. The way the world worked was why Arcadia would never make a budget cut on the army. In fact, I will make sure that everyone gets the memo that I need all the mana they can contribute. We will need another Legion. Or twenty. Still... While the Mountain Dungeon turned out to be friendly and just slightly disturbing and awkward, it was easy to understand and even relate to her reasons. She had been alive for over a thousand years, according to the reports and the history books I retrieved or simply plundered from various archives and libraries. Some sources even dated her emerging during the dawn of the Era of the Heroes or just after it. That's quite a lot of time to stay sane, while everyone who you might befriend would simply die. She was alone in her solitude.

Yet, she remained sane, and now, when the gaze of the minions of my greatest Enemies fell upon her, I couldn't just leave her. I watched her awkward and embarrassing behaviour when she talked with Sebastian, and I decided that I wanted to help her. Maybe I'm just a big softie who wants to help people? Perhaps I just have a thing for cute girls? Or just maybe I wanted to exterminate every single one of the Void and Chaos Creatures? I can't say. Probably everything above... But why she decided to complicate things for me was a mystery to me. She declined all forms of alliances, submission, and other forms of treaty. To make matters worse, the World System recognised her as fully capable of fighting me, so it insisted on a more balanced relationship than vassalization. Unfortunately for me, an alliance was declined every single time it was offered. She was dead set to marry me. She wanted to be equal in all rights and remain in complete control over her domain and assets. I wasn't particularly objecting to the second part. It was the first part I had a problem with. However, as soon as I saw the inheritance she was preparing while declining another alliance proposal, I realised that she thought that she was going to die. Mindful of the fate of the Squirrel Dungeon that was found and purged by Legio Ferrata, the choice was rather simple, if not easy...

So here I was... The monster before me was undeniably powerful, but this one seemed easy compared to the fight with Korkas. I wasn't sure if that was because I was stronger or if this Voidborn wasn't a challenge. It was almost animalistic in its moves and behaviour; it displayed a predictable attack pattern and mainly relied on its physical power. While it truly was a strong and seasoned fighter, I could endure its attacks and surpass any strategy it came up with. It lacked the technique required to overwhelm my fencing and the ingenuity of a person to use deception in battle. But I could tell it was hiding something. There was a glint of cunning in those bloodshot eyes, anticipation, and even the excitement of waiting. It played on time, which meant only one thing; its true strength must have lie in its mental attacks. Could it be the reason why an otherwise powerful person like Freya was cornered? I smiled coldly once I felt the first cracks and symptoms of my self-doubt. The silver magic circle flashed around me, cutting all uncertainty like a merciless sword. Luna's power washed over the room, piercing the darkness that gathered in the corners when no one was watching. The beast snarled furiously, knowing that it was outwitted, but as it leapt towards me one more time, I grabbed its fist in my hand and squeezed, pushing my sword forward. I saw the shock painted on the face of the monster when my sword deeply bit into its side.

"You can't win... Your resistance is futile. My Gods are patient. They waited for all other Heros to die; they can wait for your death as well." It growled as it freed itself from my grip. "Even if you manage to kill me, I will return. I will be reborn time and time again..."

It limped backward, clutching its side, its breathing shallow. It was likely trying to appear intimidating, but instead, it only looked pitiful. That pathetic display, however, earned it nothing but my laughter.

"Like Korkas? Or maybe like his henchmen?" I grinned in amusement giving the monster a pause. "I haven't seen them around lately."

"They must have offended the Gods." A grain of uncertainty was audible in its voice. "But-"

"No. I killed them, through and through. They can't escape the prison I've prepared for those like you." My skill was finally ready to be unleashed. The sword in my hand began to glow with a blue and green light, crackling with violent sparks that sizzled in the air. I smiled as viciously and coldly as possible, watching fear creep into the monster's eyes. "There is no hope for any of you—twisted abominations, servants of the Ruinous Powers."

"You’re lying!" The monster’s fear twisted into pure horror as the sword in my hand transformed into a spear of green light, crackling with blue electric discharges.

"Hahaha!" I laughed. "I claimed their souls and buried them deep, far beyond the reach of your foul patrons. I tore them to pieces, scattering them so thin they can’t even whisper in the darkness beneath Avalon. But I only detained them, holding back from final judgment. At the end of time, they will answer for their crimes."

The Voidborn's fury and fear were entirely focused on me, its animalistic face twisted in outrage, yet its eyes were disturbingly human. Suddenly, it growled in pain, stumbled, and fell forward, straight toward me. The reason became clear—Freya stood behind it, wielding a massive bladed axe dripping with the monster’s blood. The Voidborn thrashed, clawing at the floor, before grabbing what was left of its leg. It scowled in agony, clutching the bloody stump where its limb had once been.

"I would never be yours!" Freya screamed and while I feared she would jump at the monster, wanting to finish the job, she stepped back behind Sebastian and Balin.

The two scions held their weapons at the ready to protect Freya from all harm. The monster howled and rolled on the ground in pain, but I noticed that his leg had already started regenerating. However, that single moment of distraction was all I needed.

"The spear of true aim, Gungnir."

I hurled the spear, and it instantly pierced the Voidborn’s heart. Its screams were abruptly cut short, but it wasn’t over. Blue flames spread from the point of impact, burning the monster’s body until only its bones and heart remained. Sebastian quickly retrieved the remains, sealing them in a runic crate. The commander of our enemies was dead, and no Void Beasts or Chaos Spawns had escaped. They would meet their doom beneath the Mountain.

I slowly turned towards Freya, who had a flat expression, but her true emotions were betrayed by the deep blush that had crept up to the tips of her ears. Before I managed to say anything, she dropped her battleaxe, which gave a pure ring worthy of a bell, and she approached me slowly. She rested her head on my stomach and weakly tapped me with her fists. Then, Freya broke down, crying uncontrollably, and the only thing I could do was embrace her.