Elizabeth studied the spell Ten Dawn Iris showed her, Bounded Wheel, somewhat casually. That was not to say that she was half-hearted in learning it, but it was that this spell was too simple to understand. Her strongest spells, Sky Piercer and Eclipsing Theatre, were at the pinnacle of Peak Gaseous Fog, and required a delicate balance of energy, focus, and talent to execute. They were leagues above the High Gaseous Fog spell, Bounded Wheel, so she comprehended it quickly.
However, rather than executing it immediately, the girl dove into her consciousness and created a mental link. A vast and blank land soon greeted her eyes, which stretched in every direction almost unendingly. It felt infinite, yet finite at the same time. It was a very mysterious feeling. Back when her Core collapsed from the Lannisail explosion, this landscape was dark and gloomy, brimming with danger, to reflect that fact. After repairing her Core, the landscape was restored to its gentle and stable appearance, yet with the current backlash from this battle, cracks were beginning to form in the sky again. It was a sign that her Core and body were reaching their limits. That showed how dangerous of a situation she found herself in.
A familiar voice drifted into her ears, "What do you want, girl?"
"Master." Elizabeth bowed slightly.
"You should be focusing on the battle outside."
The girl tried her best to calm her beating heart and steel her resolve. She then said slowly, "The enemy has outnumbered and outmaneuvered us. Our frontlines are barely holding on, while Auntie Christina… the backline has likely fallen too. At this rate, our defeat is a certainty, except this defeat won't affect us alone. The main army will likely fall in short time too… Several hundred thousand people will lose their lives here. I can't let that happen!"
"And?" Rena replied coldly in a tone dripping with derision.
This made Elizabeth smile bitterly. Her master never showed much interest in anything, whether it be the Alzar Kingdom or the human world at large. It was like all their lives weighed as much as sand in the mind of her master. No, at least, sand had a use. Their lives were probably worth less than sand… They were nothing at all! At this point, Elizabeth was reminded of the Featherwind Sect's attitude. They had killed thousands of people with the same logic, claiming that the lives of Rank 1 Mortals were worthless. Did everyone have the same mentality beyond the human world? If so, it would be an incredibly cruel place to live in. That said, she had predicted this response. She came to this conversation prepared.
Dropping on her hands and knees, she pleaded, "On behalf of the Alzar Kingdom, I, Princess Elizabeth Etuvel Reindel, former heir apparent of the Alzar Kingdom, do humbly request your assistance in this battle. Please help us, master!"
This scene would have been unthinkable to the people outside. Elizabeth was one of the most powerful figures in the Alzar Kingdom, having the power to command millions with a word alone. Her authority was absolute! Moreover, her recent achievements in this war were too shocking. No one doubted her now, whether it was the Ten Dawns or the Army Generals. Everyone came to know and respect her strength! She was like a rising star at night. Her status and reputation had grown to an outrageous extent! It was thus unthinkable that this rising star would willingly descend to the earth for such a request. Everyone's world views would have been flipped upside down if they learned what happened.
However, Elizabeth had other thoughts… Back when she negotiated with Elder Ludin and Crus above the skies of the Maelstrom Gulf, a sliver of her master's aura was enough to humble, if not terrify, the elder birds. Remember that these were the same elder birds who ran rampant and terrorized the entire human world, who fought the Sword King on equal terms at Guanhuang, and who managed to overturn the power balance of the world. Their power was evident! They were almost peerless! And yet, they were afraid of her master… This meant her master was clearly at the level of a Rank 3 King, if not greater! Rena absolutely had the qualifications to resolve their predicament. The only question was how to drag the spirit to the surface. As she pondered this, the spirit in question narrowed their eyes dangerously.
Boom! A monstrous, transcendental, almost god-like aura immediately erupted and dominated the entire infinite space! This sheer force of this awakening was so powerful that Elizabeth was blown back an indescribable distance, as she felt her body twist under the pressure! Thankfully, her current body was her mental form, and not her physical flesh. It was intangible and indestructible in a sense. Still, had this taken place in the real world… her mortal body would have been transformed into a fine blood mist. Her mind and soul might have been destroyed too! The world then seemed to dim and wane like a physical representation of the spirit's dominance. They had ruled this space! Even the air felt heavy and sluggish, as the once empty void solidified under the pressure. To transform the world with their presence alone, that was an unbelievable level of strength! It was far above what Elizabeth anticipated, terrifying the girl. And this aura seemed to be an undirected, half-hearted attempt without any spells, techniques, or effort by the spirit. Elizabeth dreaded to imagine the consequences had Rena been serious. The entire world might not be their match!
For a second, she regretted her decision. She feared that she miscalculated her master's strength, and, most importantly, personality. This was a huge risk. Originally, her master had nothing to do with the human world. Elizabeth could act without worry since she did not have to think about the abnormality known as Rena. The drawback was that she could not rely on Rena's abnormal strength. She had to resolve things on her own. That was how things were until now. However, by bringing her master into the fold, she would ruin that arrangement… There was no telling what Rena might do, and moreover, there was nothing that could stop the spirit either. Rena would have free reign to do as they pleased! Despite that and the numerous risks and dangers involved, Elizabeth still felt that requesting her master's help was the right move. There were two main reasons for this.
The first was that their outlook was poor. Elizabeth was not lying when she explained the situation earlier. She honestly did believe that their chances of surviving or escaping were infinitesimally small. The enemy had prepared this grand execution ground, so they must be certain of their victory. There was probably no way out. In such a case, Rena's support could be the key to turning things around. It was the difference between life and death! Of course, she had to take a chance.
The second was that she wanted to understand her master's position. Although this spirit seemed detached from the world, they still lent a hand to help Elizabeth when she needed it. For example, in the battle with Emperor Lianghu, Rena was the one who guided her to victory. Or after the Lannisail explosion when her Core collapsed, Rena taught Elizabeth the way to stabilize her Core and survive. Or the continued support of her master, so she could grow her Core into Half-Condensed Drop with power rivaling that of genuine Condensed Drop Arcanists… Her master was responsible for all this. Therefore, her master clearly had an attachment to the world through Elizabeth, only she did not know why. That was why she wanted to test the extent of her favourability. Could she rely on Rena? Were they an ally? Or… were they an enemy? She had to find out.
Sadly, as the saying goes, against absolute power, all manner of trickery was meaningless! It was the same here. The spirit had already discovered her intentions with a thought. It was like Elizabeth was stripped naked; there was nothing she could hide from Rena! This feeling would have unnerved anyone else, except Elizabeth knew that this would happen. She managed to keep her composure because she was not trying to trick or scheme against her master. Instead, she was earnestly asking for help. That was it. There were no impure thoughts. Her heart and mind were clear. The spirit sensed her sincerity and retracted their grand aura. In the blink of an eye, the once ominous air disappeared, as the original calm air returned. It was like nothing happened at all. This made Elizabeth raise her eye. Had she won this bet?