As a neutral force without national affiliation, the Mage City had relatively accessible entry requirements.

A mage needed to be at least third-rank in power and possess decent moral character and sense of justice.

Under these conditions, beings of any nationality or race could potentially become members of the Mage City.

However—

Not every member who joined the Mage City had the opportunity to become a councilor.

The title of councilor symbolized both the highest combat power and moral authority within the Mage Council.

Those bearing this status must possess extraordinary integrity and extremely rare levels of power.

The only exception was Viktor, who had just reached fourth-rank but won a councilor position through his unique charisma that conquered the Mage Council.

Similarly, Cocotte, who voluntarily gave up her councilor status, didn't leave due to any pressure from the Mage Council.

She simply couldn't be bothered with the arguments, as having councilor status meant nothing to her.

So she simply abandoned the position that originally belonged to her.

The fact that she became one of the few councilors before Viktor joined wasn't due to her empty title as the Elven Queen.

The Mage City never cared about such status.

It was because...

Cocotte — Level 49

[Nature's Blessing]

She was one of the most senior and powerful councilors in the Mage City.

A pure stream of magical power surged through space, and that monster's round eyeball rolled into Cocotte's hand.

She weighed the eyeball in her hand in front of everyone, feeling somewhat puzzled.

"I really don't understand what's so tasty about this thing."

"Hey, you're not human, are you?"

As the dust gradually settled, a figure suddenly leaped out through the flying particles.

No one clearly saw her movement - they only perceived a white shadow appearing and instantly vanishing.

But Cocotte remained calm, slowly raising her finger again.

A soft green light emanated from her fingertip, quickly constructing a double-layered magical formation.

This spell was triggered instantly, before anyone could even notice it.

The formation's construction was nearly imperceptible.

Thick vines suddenly burst from the ground, dancing wildly in the air like two giant snakes, colliding with each other.

They directly caught the white figure and suspended it in mid-air.

Like a fish on a chopping board, ready to be sliced.

Everything happened so quickly that people only saw two green flashes.

When they came to their senses, they found that humanoid monster already bound in the sky.

Aurelianne stood beside Cocotte, looking up at the white figure struggling and tearing at the green vines, her eyes full of surprise.

Such fast spellcasting speed - she had only seen it from her own teacher before.

And now, Cocotte had demonstrated the same ability.

The spell was released in less than a second, with even the fleeting magical traces swiftly erased.

The magic was cast with natural mastery.

So this was... the basic power level of a councilor...

The cloud beneath Cocotte rose and fell as it carried her floating forward, examining Sapphirose's body up and down.

"Tsk tsk, you look quite similar to humans. Could you be a demi-human?"

"But there's no demi-human species like you..."

Sapphirose's snake-like green vertical pupils contracted slightly as she stared intently at Cocotte.

"[Target Detection, Danger Level - High]"

"[Switching - Combat Mode]"

A mechanical voice emerged from her throat, causing Cocotte to pause briefly.

Before she could react to what was happening, two flashes of blade light suddenly appeared.

The thick and massive vines were quickly severed.

After breaking free from the restraints, Sapphirose landed on the ground and gradually faded from view.

Her body disappeared?

Magic?

Suddenly, a whistling sound pierced the air, buzzing into Cocotte's ears.

[Banshee Echo]

The white figure appeared not far from Cocotte, opening its huge mouth to reveal rows of sharp teeth, unleashing a sharp explosive sound.

The piercing sound made countless people cover their ears.

Cocotte, sensing her attack, waved a stream of magical power to block the wind force in her ears.

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Balancing the internal and external pressure in her ears, she easily defended against the monster's attack.

Sapphirose realized her attack was ineffective, quickly ducked down and leaped upward.

Immediately after, two streams of leaf-composed air currents burst from the ground, continuously spiraling skyward.

But she managed to dodge them perfectly.

Cocotte frowned slightly seeing her magic being avoided.

The creature before her had remarkably keen senses.

Sapphirose, having dodged the attack in mid-air, flipped her body and landed steadily on the ground.

She placed both hands before her chest, revealing two eyeballs in her palms.

The eyeballs rolled backward, unexpectedly revealing mouths full of sharp teeth.

They suddenly opened wide, and two streams of flame instantly shot forth.

[Wall of Flames]

The intense flames formed a thick barrier, continuously advancing toward Cocotte.

The cloud beneath Cocotte seemed somewhat timid feeling the scorching temperature, retreating slightly.

But she appeared quite displeased, quickly kicking the cloud's tail, forcing it to float forward again.

Her fingers gently pinched together, two streams of azure light emanated from her fingertips, and thick water columns burst forth.

The high-pressure, massive water streams pierced through the wall of fire, shooting toward Sapphirose at high speed.

Everyone watched this magnificent and intense battle, standing frozen in place.

The demi-humans could only observe from afar, completely unable to provide support.

The speed of both combatants was far beyond what these soldiers could interfere with.

Meanwhile, Aurelianne's eyes widened.

As a diligent student, Aurelianne had thoroughly familiarized herself with the Monster Encyclopedia Viktor had given her, reading it over and over.

And all the abilities used by the white monster before her could be found in that encyclopedia.

"Banshee Echo... that's clearly a powerful skill of the Dark Banshee."

"That wall... it looks like the Fire Gorilla's Wall of Flames?"

Aurelianne couldn't believe it, thinking her eyes were playing tricks on her.

But Sapphirose's next ability confirmed her suspicions.

Two water streams violently struck Sapphirose's body, but she stood motionless, her body seemingly completely petrified.

Her body was covered with a stone-like gray luster.

"A Gargoyle's [Petrification]!?"

Just as Cocotte said, she definitely wasn't a normal human!

How could a human use monster abilities?

Unless she was a mage, she couldn't produce effects similar to these spells.

But clearly, there wasn't even any magical fluctuation from her body.

As the water streams gradually subsided, Sapphirose's petrification immediately dissolved.

The next second, her body emanated a purple light, as if electricity was constantly flowing, with sparks beginning to flash across it.

This time, Aurelianne blurted out:

"That's [Lightning Flow]! Don't get close to her!"

"Lightning Flow only lasts a few seconds, after which her speed will slow down!"

Warned by this, Cocotte immediately became cautious.

Indeed, as Aurelianne had said, her body seemed covered in purple electricity, suddenly charging toward Cocotte, drawing trails of flames through the air.

The surrounding trees were all snapped in half by Sapphirose's charge, wood fragments flying everywhere.

At the critical moment, the cloud sensed the danger.

Without even needing Cocotte's urging, it cried pitifully and hurriedly flew upward.

Dodging the lightning bomb that exploded instantly.

As the thunder gradually subsided, Cocotte clenched her hand, and a yellow lightning spear arose from beneath her.

Following the ground, it suddenly rushed under Sapphirose's body and burst forth.

[Fourth-Rank Magic: Piercing Thunder Flash]

Swoosh!

The yellow lightning spear violently pierced through Sapphirose, who had slowed down and become rigid in place, suspending her in mid-air.

This strike severely wounded Sapphirose.

But Cocotte, who could have pressed her advantage, now sat on her cloud, looking down at Sapphirose from above.

"You can't defeat me."

"I'll give you one chance - tell me who you are."

Cocotte could sense that the woman before her was indeed very powerful.

All her movements seemed born for battle.

She was a pure fighting machine.

Her strength was probably around fourth-rank, though this was just Cocotte's estimate.

Because she felt the opponent wasn't using full power.

Of course, neither was she.

However, Sapphirose didn't answer her question.

Even when injured, she seemed completely unaffected by pain.

Those snake-like pupils unconsciously glanced toward Aurelianne.

She had heard it earlier.

It was that human girl who had identified her skills.

"[Switching Target, Danger Level - None]"

"[Preemptive Treatment Required]"

The moment Sapphirose shifted her gaze, Cocotte immediately understood her intention.

She raised her hand at once, and a green spell instantly rose.

A flourishing giant tree burst from the ground, its thick trunk trapping Sapphirose within.

But the next second, Sapphirose pulled out a long blade from somewhere.

Her body moved slightly, making a huge spin, violently cutting through the giant tree.

Where did that blade come from?

Cocotte couldn't react in time.

By the time she tried to stop it, it was already too late.

As if instantly accelerating from nowhere, Sapphirose had already charged to Aurelianne's side.

[Iaido - Slash]

That elongated cold light swept toward Aurelianne.

Everyone's hearts jumped to their throats, but the next second, another cold light instantly emerged, blocking Sapphirose's attack.

She looked up to see a female knight in armor.

She had a cold expression as she held her blade against Sapphirose's long sword.

A cold voice resonated from Gwen's mouth:

"This time, I won't let you succeed with a sneak attack."

An astonishing flame suddenly coiled up from Gwen's blade, the scorching temperature combined with the burning air made Sapphirose feel an unprecedented pressure.

[Wrath]

Two blade lights clashed against each other, and the originally fierce flames instantly exploded at this moment.

Red runes slowly lit up on Gwen's blade, releasing powerful magical energy.

The long blade in Sapphirose's hand became somewhat distorted due to the extraordinary high temperature.

But she still refused to yield, firmly clashing against Gwen.

Meanwhile, unnoticed by anyone.

The black feather at Aurelianne's waist swayed slightly.

On an extremely flourishing giant tree, a black figure had somehow appeared standing on a branch.

Its form was hidden behind the leaves, with only a single eye looking down below.

"Interesting."

"It seems Viktor was right - we really did encounter this one here."

The crow muttered to itself, its gaze flowing with cunning light.

"""