BZZZT!
"âŠWhat did you just say?"
Helenâs eyes snapped open to their fullest extent, disbelief flooding her expression. For a moment, something inside her mind⊠snapped.
A bitch?
Her father never taught her?
When was the last time someone had spoken to her like this? Noâhad anyone ever spoken to her like this? Not even Emperor Ghassan dared to be so brazen. Even in the midst of their battles, he still addressed her as Lady Helen.
Robin saw the madness in her eyes and immediately realized his mistake. "Uh⊠Sorry?" he offered weakly.
"âŠSorry?" Helen narrowed her eyes, her voice laced with venom. "So I did hear correctly."
SHAAA!
Without hesitation, she extended her index finger toward him, a grey beam shot toward him at high speed.
"Iâll send the rest of my followers to claim NĂ©hari after Iâm done with you. Iâll make sure they reduce everything and everyone you know to dust."
This beam was much faster and sharper than before.
"Damn it, at least try to negotiate with me, you lunatic!!" Robin roared in frustration.
Up to this moment, he felt like the crazy one. He had brought less than half of his army to this war, yet in front of this woman, he was the only one who seemed remotely sane!
"RRRGH!!"
Desperation set in. Robin tried to break free using the Laws of Space and Time, but it was futile. Against such absolute power, he had nothing that could counter itâŠ
âŠexcept for Master Spacetime.
But if he attempted to invoke Spacetime while being crushed under Helenâs monstrous might, he had no idea whether the 23 remaining Foundations would be enough fuel. The first few Foundations were always weaker than the later ones. The difference between the first 23 and the seven between 24 and 30 was like night and day, thatâs not mentioning the Foundations above level 30!
What would happen if he burned through all of them?
Would he turn into a mortal and be swallowed by a sea of hellfire down there?
Or would Helen simply seize him again like it was nothing?
"âŠNo other choice."
Robin clenched his teeth and poured a faint stream of energy into the Spacetime tattoo etched onto his skin.
Whether he lived or died, he refused to let this psychotic bitch have her way.
But just as his energy surgedâ
CRACKOOOOOM!!!
A bolt of lightning, as thick as a Durger the Devourerâs body, tore through the sky and intercepted the gray beam in an explosive clash.
And then, a thunderous voice boomed across the battlefield: "STOP TRYING TO KILL MY FUTURE OWNER!!"
WHOOOOM!!
The resulting shockwave sent Robin flying back once more, trying his best not to fall into the sea of lava as his injuries worsened.
Helen scoffed.
Without a word, she raised her hand again.
This time, all five fingers pointed toward Robin.
Five gray beams. Five death sentences.
CRACK! CRACK!
But five colossal lightning strikes shot down in response, clashing against the beams.
And at that very instantâ
Five more bolts struck Helenâs shadowed form.
Her defenses trembled.
"âŠHave you activated the Second Tier of planetary defense?"
For the first time, a flicker of shock appeared on Helenâs darkened face.
"I warn you," she continued. "The power of this projection has already surpassed the power of a normal World Cataclysm. This is something you cannot handle. If you continue using this level of force, you will drain your consciousness and weaken your control over the planetâs body to a dangerous degree. That means youâll either be forced into a deep slumber⊠or youâll be annihilated entirely. Is that ant really worth the risk?"
A booming laugh echoed from the sky.
"Who else is more worthy than him?"
NĂ©hariâs planetary spirit responded without hesitation.
"Do you have any idea how excruciating it is to wait for a proper owner!?"
CRACKOOOOM!
A thunderstorm erupted above Helen, growing impossibly dense.
The black clouds overhead were no longer just cloudsâ they had become solid masses, thick enough to sit on.
And the multicolored lightning surging within them writhed like a box of venomous serpents.
Every second, one or two leaped down toward their target.
CRACK! KRRRAK!
More and more bolts rained down, their impact growing stronger.
And finallyâ
BOOOOM!!!
Helenâs back defenses shattered.
"No matter, then. I want to see what the Young Belt is truly capable of."
Helen raised her hand and casually waved it toward the storm.
SHOOO SHOOO
Five distinct beams pierced through the dense storm as if it were made of nothing more than cheese, carving through the chaotic clouds with ease. The violent tempest began to wither, rapidly shrinking until it was on the verge of vanishing completely.
CRACKLE!!
But the planetary spirit of Néhari refused to relent.
A new storm was already forming.
RUMBLE!
And from below, the Sea of Magma trembled violently.
Then, without warningâ
Massive chains of molten rock erupted from its depths, twisting and writhing like fiery serpents. They shot up, wrapping tightly around the dark shadowâs legs and snaking their way upward, seeking to bind her.
"Hmph."
Helen merely flicked her wrist.
A gray wind surged downward.
The fiery chainsâonce glowing with immense heatâcrumbled into dust.
"No matter." Helenâs voice remained eerily calm. "For some reason, all of you seem to think I should abide by the rules youâve set."
Her eyes flickered with contempt.
"The ant believes he can negotiate with me. And you, a mere pathetic planetary spirit, think you can stop me just because I want the planet and think that I wouldnât dare harm you?"
Her lips curled into a cold smirk.
"Think again."
Thenâ
She swung her left hand in a crescent arc.
A devastating gray beam tore through the air, erasing an entire quarter of the Magma Sea before continuing onwardâ set to consume the entire middle region.
"WHAT?!?"
NĂ©hariâs planetary spirit screamed in alarm.
CRACK! CRACK!
Two colossal mountains rose from the ground, materializing just in time to intercept the devastating attack.
At the same timeâ
The second storm had fully formed.
And just like beforeâ
It attacked from above.
CRACKOOOOOM!!
"Ho⊠hoâŠ"
Robin exhaled shakily.
"âŠGood planetary spirit⊠good planetary spiritâŠ"
His voice was barely audible. His body swayed unsteadily in midair, still struggling to recover from the sheer force of the battle raging before him.
His heart pounded like war drums.
The battle unfolding before his eyes was not just an ordinary clashâit was the kind of battle that could decide the fate of an entire world.
Without a doubt, if this shadow had descended upon Planet Jura, and if Juraâs planetary spirit had tried to resist in the same wayâŠ
The result would have been catastrophic.
Jura wouldnât have lasted even the first few exchanges.
Its lands would have been sundered, its oceans boiled away, and its spirit annihilated before it even had the chance to understand what she was fighting.
The sheer size and energy reserves of Néhari were its greatest weapons.
Robin clenched his fists as he continued watching, his body tense with anticipation.
Every flicker of energy, every bolt of lightning, and every violent impact felt like a ticking clock counting down toward an inevitable conclusion.
Then, he muttered under his breath, his voice barely a whisper.
"âŠThis isnât good."
The lightning bolts hammering down upon the shadow were losing their strength.
The planetary spiritâs reactions to Helenâs relentless attacks were slowing, its movements growing less precise, less fierce.
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Even the shadow âthough its attacks had slightly weakenedâ remained in far better condition than its opponent.
This battleâŠ
Wouldnât last another minute.
Robin could already see itâ the planetary spirit was faltering, she wouldnât be able to keep up.
And the shadow, for all its power, wasnât suited for prolonged warfare against an equal, it was designed to strike down weaker armies!
This had become a battle of endurance.
Whoever lasted until the final moment would win.
And from the looks of itâ
SHOOOOOOOO!
A piercing gray beam of energy shot toward the southern region of the planet, cutting through the storm like a blade slicing through paper.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The beam streaked across the sky and disappeared beyond the horizon in mere seconds.
Robinâs Truth Eye flared to life, locking onto the impact point with razor-sharp focus.
Over a thousand miles away, the planetary spirit had barely managed to intercept the attack.
And yetâ
Even that last-minute defense wasnât enough to stop the devastation left in its wake.
That attack had erased everything in its path.
Not just the landscapeâmountains, forests, entire ecosystems had been wiped from existence as if they had never been there at all.
Robinâs breath caught in his throat.
His fingers twitched.
The planetary spirit was trying to destroy the shadow.
But the shadowâŠ
The shadow was trying to destroy the planet!!
"You insane witch!!" Robin roared, his voice filled with raw fury. "Did you forget why youâre even here?! Youâre supposed to conquer NĂ©hari, not destroy it!!"
He had been holding back his frustration, trying to stay focused on the battle, but this was beyond reckless. If this continued, there wouldnât be a planet left to conquer.
SHOOO!
Before he could say anything else, Helen turned toward him, her expression blank, almost disinterested. Then, with a casual flick of her handâ
A gray beam shot straight toward him.
Robinâs instincts screamed at him to move.
"SHIT!"
He twisted his body and launched himself sideways, pushing his speed to its absolute limit.
But he wasnât fast enough.
The attack was already upon him.
His heart poundedâ
CRACKOOOM!!!
A blinding lightning bolt, crackling with raw power, tore through the sky and intercepted the beam just inches before it could hit him.
The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the battlefield.
Robin stumbled back, his breaths ragged and uneven.
"Hah⊠hahâŠ" He exhaled sharply, his mind racing.
âNo, this wasnât going to work.â If things continued like this, The dark shadow would destroy the planet before he even had the chance to claim victory.
Before he even had the chance to enjoy it.
"âŠI have to do something!!"
His hands clenched tighter, his nails digging into his palms.
He had been watching. Analyzing. Calculating.
But watching alone wasnât enough.
He needed to act, to do something, ANYTHING!!
OOOOOOOMMMM!!!
A deep, resonating hum filled the battlefield.
A series of silver soul portals began to open around Robin, shimmering like liquid metal, pulsating with untamed, otherworldly energy.