"I'm a little heavy?"

"No, you're a little useless!"

The Celestial Beast shot Naira Sorkin a scathing glare, unimpressed with his ally’s faltering powers. This guy had once stopped a hail of bullets with ease; now, he couldn't even keep him aloft? Absolutely useless.

Naira Sorkin sighed, helpless. His lifting capacity was tied directly to the limits of his willpower—his mental strength.

He’d tried countless methods to strengthen his mind: enduring tortures, meditating under waterfalls, sitting beneath starry skies. Each brought minimal gains, but the stars were especially useless.

Still, until he found a way to quickly amplify his mental power, his only hope lay in “that Lord.”

The powers they’d received were flawed; only that Lord could perfect them. But how to catch that Lord’s attention remained a mystery.

Watching the Celestial Beast’s attacks fail, Naira Sorkin unconsciously took a step back—until two old men approached, pressing hands on his shoulders.

“Don’t worry. We’re here.”

One of them, clutching a Blood Flesh greatsword, examined the angel while stroking his beard. “If we still had that arrow, this’d be much easier.”

“Kid, let me try him out. Watch and learn.”

Swordsmith stepped into the fray, swinging the Blood Flesh greatsword. The blade stretched, dividing into countless sections linked by strands of flesh, like a chain of living swords.

He flung the chain swords at the angel, who darted aside just in time.

"Hm?" Another one. She glanced at the newcomers, recognizing one from a previous encounter. This man had a spatial ability that could trap people in alternate rules, something she was still wary of. But today, he wasn’t alone.

His companion’s sword was eerie, crafted from flesh and bone, with veins and an eye blinking ominously on its hilt.

And that red, dog-like creature... Who are these people?

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“Who are you?”

They didn’t respond. Swordsmith kept swinging his weapon, and with a flick of his other hand, launched a dagger with a shout.

“Go, thief!”

Swish!

The dagger sped silently, darting in a circle before aiming straight for Moon’s back.

Swish!

Moon turned just in time as the dagger sliced past her face.

"What is this?"

Before she could examine it, the dagger turned back, aiming at her face again. Meanwhile, Swordsmith lunged, his greatsword descending with lethal force.

Moon deployed her wings, forming a shield against the blade, while her hand shot out, catching the dagger.

“Interesting. Tell me, how are these things doing this? Is it your ability?”

Swordsmith landed with a heavy thud. “Dragon, go!”

The ground beneath him split open as a twisted, serpent-like soft sword emerged.

Judging by the effects of the previous weapons, Moon instantly widened the distance between herself and the man, quickly calculating her next move.

Swordsmith's arsenal of swords, each with unique properties, displayed formidable yet varied threats. The sword he wielded split and extended with impressive reach, but despite its power, it lacked the force to truly harm Moon. Meanwhile, the dagger, aptly named the Thief, was small and silent, attacking without a guiding hand, though its impact was minimal—Moon could intercept it with one hand.

Now, what could this new weapon, the Dragon, do?

As if in answer to her curiosity, the Dragon's form twisted, coiling its blade like a serpent and lunging to bite! Its speed was fierce, and when Moon attempted to intercept it, the creature sank its fangs into her wing and clamped down, unyielding.

“Naira Sorkin!” Swordsmith barked.

Purple light burst from Naira Sorkin, summoning a force that pulled on the Dragon, increasing its weight and anchoring it with a heavy grip, like the strength of many hands pulling at once. The Dragon’s grip dragged the angel earthward, straining Moon's balance as her body plunged toward the ground.

Yet mid-fall, she steadied herself. In that same moment, Naira Sorkin’s purple aura exploded, propelling him backward.

“Naira Sorkin!” Juan caught his ally mid-flight, noting blood trailing from his mouth.

“I expected her to be hard to control, but… cough, cough… her strength in sheer force outmatches mine,” Naira Sorkin grumbled, clearly frustrated.

Naira Sorkin’s ability operated in two stages: control and force exertion. He could control the weight of objects up to 500 kilograms, but beyond that, he needed physical force to manipulate anything. While he could control weight to a degree, his ability required his own strength to move the object effectively. To keep himself aloft, he constantly applied force from all directions, much like a bullet propelling itself.

But he sensed this was an incomplete version of what he could do. If perfected, he believed it would evolve to control gravity itself.

Naira Sorkin spat out blood. “The angel’s force exceeds my ability to pull. The only one who could rival her strength is the Celestial Beast.”

“But,” Juan pointed out, glancing at the Celestial Beast, “if he can’t land a hit, it doesn’t matter how strong he is.”

The Celestial Beast growled, deeply frustrated. He had power but no means to reach her. Unless…

Naira Sorkin’s eyes sparked with realization. He turned urgently to Juan. “Juan, quickly—pull them into your dimensional space!”