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Woosh!
Zephyrin had an ominous demonic energy swelling around her neck.
Shaku fired lightning at her other eyeball, but they couldn't slow down the gathering breath.
She was merely taking a breath, but it contained an incredible power, enough to astonish both Murakan and Valkas.
However, Jin could remain calm even though Zephyrin's breath was clearly directed at him.
It was because he had confidence.
'Zephyrin won't kill me.'
Or, she couldn't.
Whether it was because of Demon God's Orb or something even more terrible, Jin's power of Soldelet was the most crucial element.
As he deduced during his time as a reserve flagbearer, both Zipfel and Kinzelo knew a way to transfer the God's contract.
However, Jin believed that the means might not be as straightforward for him. If it were easy, Zipfel, Kinzelo, and Joshua all would have been more proactive in trying to kill him.
'If her goal was to annihilate us, she would have shown her power from the start.'
The power of Zephyrin's breath was certainly shocking, but considering the transcendent battle prowess she showed, it was nothing strange.
Also, it was not at a level that Jin and others could not handle. In other words, Zephyrin has no choice but to forcibly control her strength in order not to kill Jin.
Kwaaaah!
Zephyrin opened her huge mouth, and the winds of subspace swirled like crazy along with the demonic energy, as if a storm had begun.
A surge force of attraction and repulsion emerged from the breath, and a purple beam of breath was headed towards Jin.
[Ugh, how annoying!]
Murakan quickly descended, and blocked Zephyrin's breath. The breath first touched the shadow force curtain alongside Murakan's wings before hitting the ground.
Most of the demonic energy was sucked into the shadow force curtain, and remaining fragments and other beams had to be pushed back by Shaku and Valkas.
The entire subspace trembled precariously due to the combined power of the dragon and the humans.
It would be difficult for ordinary warriors to even withstand the pressure of this battlefield. Every time force collided, their ears and bones would ring and a thrilling sensation surge throughout their body.
Perhaps because the group handled it well, Zephyrin released a second breath infused with even more potent demonic energy.
Although she had lived for many years longer than Murakan, but like most of them, she had never experienced a battle like this before.
Kill, crush thoroughly, or annihilate without a trace.
Such battles were not difficult, but Zephyrin found it annoying to kill Shaku and Valkas, and attack Murakan just enough not to kill him, and capture Jin alive.
Furthermore, it was aggravating.
Murakan's resistance exceeded Zephyrin's expectations by far. She had heard rumors that he had partially regained his strength, but she had no idea it would be this intense.
Zephyrin was also starting to see Jin's intentions.
'You cunning bastard... you are quite convinced that I won't kill you, Jin Runcandel.'
The blue flames enveloping Jin sent chills down her spine.
What's more, it seemed like these flames would soon tear apart a portion of the subspace.
Suddenly, she thought that it might have been better to wait for another day and for a better opportunity. It may be a somewhat impulsive decision.
'I think I know why my master is paying attention to you.'
Boom! Pshh...
The second breath collided with the shadow force curtain and was neutralized.
Although he appeared to be struggling to maintain the defense, Murakan was slowly preparing to counterattack.
[It seems like you shot quite well, and the power is quite decent.]
[Compliments don't sweeten the deal, haha.]
[Well, that's true. And this won't be sweet either.]
As soon as Murakan finished speaking, the massive curtain split into three pieces like shadows moving with the light.
One remained behind Murakan for his defense, while the other two took positions on either side of Zephyrin.
Due to the nature of shadow force, Zephyrin was unaware of the fact that the curtain had been extended to her sides. It is nearly impossible to sense shadows, no matter how vast they were.
The huge body, which was several times larger than Murakan's, also contributed to the inability to check the left and right shadow force curtains.
If you cannot feel the flow of power, you can only confirm it with your eyesight.
However, Zephyrin's vision was limited, combined with her body still being mostly hidden by the purple smoke, also played a role in her inability to perceive it clearly. She couldn't even see her own body, let alone the surroundings.
[What kind of bluff are you putting on now…..? Ah!]
Zephyrin realized that something was wrong when she saw "demonic energy" starting to seep out from the shadow force curtains that Murakan had extended to her sides.
He was trying to shoot the absorbed breath at her through the curtains.
The shadow force, or rather, shadows.
This power had not only an efficiency at least 2-stars higher than aura or mana, but it also possessed another unique characteristic that normal powers could never mimic.
It was imitating or mimicking something as if shadows were being cast.
What Murakan was doing by shooting Zephyrin's breath at her with the curtains was based on that principle.
'I really didn't like using this kind of method, but I have no choice.'
It wasn't the method that Murakan preferred. In the past, he had enough power to subdue someone like Zephyrin using the characteristics of shadow force.
On the other hand, Misha was good at handling the infinite excessive shadow force as she showed from her first meeting with Jin.
'I never thought the day would come when I'd put to use what I learned from that bully. This wouldn't have been possible if I hadn't regained at least forty percent of my strength.'
Hmph! Murakan let out a derisive snort as he remembered Misha's insidious grin.
Cheee!
The curtains on either side made a sharp noise as they released the demonic energy.
This demonic energy was more potent than Zephyrin's exhaled breath combined with shadow force. With Zephyrin's massive body, avoiding the demonic energy was impossible.
[Hah! Where did you learn such nasty tricks...?]
There was no time to deploy a protective shield.
Her colossal body was an advantage in most battles, but in the face of such an unexpected attack, it was uncomfortable to respond.
When the demonic energy struck Zephyrin's torso, it produced a thunderous crash that was reminiscent of a castle collapsing. Scales and bones within her massive body crunched and twisted, and created a horrifying noise that sent shivers down the spine.
Aaargh!
A scream that seemed impossible to hear resounded.
[Receiving your own breath must be a first for you, right? Yes?]
Murakan spoke with a wicked tone full of amusement, and Zephyrin writhed in agony for a while.
Zephyrin swung her tail around reflexively, and exhaled her breath in all directions. She released demonic energy wildly into the air. It dyed the subspace with poison.
Murakan and Shaku raised their senses to their limits while avoiding Zephyrin's rampage. Even in Zephyrin's simple thrashing, they could suffer fatal injuries if they made a mistake.
The two people, who were leaping and flying between Zephyrin's flailing tail and demonic energy, had the same thought in their minds: this might be her best, or perhaps their last chance in this battle.
Valkas, who had been protecting the Black Knight, couldn't afford to miss this moment. The three of them searched for the wounds that Zephyrin had suffered before she could recover, and tried to inflict more damage.
Shaku screamed and cast thunderbolts, while Valkas gathered all his might and struck a punch.
The lightning and fist struck in the place where scales had been torn apart. What appeared before their eyes was a terrifying gush of blood that was enough to make them all pale even for those who had overturned bloodshed in the battlefield their whole lives.
Uuaaargh!
Blood poured like a waterfall from Zephyrin's torn flesh. The blood contained the poison that had put the Black Knight into a coma.
Finally, Murakan flew through the poison, and reached the wound inflicted by Valkas and Shaku.
It was located around the middle part of the body, which could be likened to the abdomen in humans. In other words, it was a vital point that anyone would consider a vulnerable spot.
Murakan breathed out all his strength into the wound, which was so deep that it looked like a cave.
Soon, a streak of shadow force pierced Zephyrin's body.
It would be appropriate to say that her back was severed. Everyone felt that Zephyrin's spine was about to break under Murakan's breath.
Ha, Ha, Ha….!
Afterward, Murakan grasped for a breath and stood in the air, and Valkas and Shaku stood below him, catching their breath.
The battlefield, which had been incredibly noisy, had become so quiet that the rough breathing of the group was audible.
It was an extremely brief silence. Zephyrin, who had been motionless with her torso bent backwards, let out a sigh and slowly lifted her head.
[...Wow, this is really surprising, isn't it?]
Demonic energy scattered throughout the surroundings began to gather and fill the gaping hole in her abdomen. Her regenerative capabilities were so fast that there was hardly any way to intervene.
[It's hard to remember the last time I felt this much pain.]
She wasn't entirely unscathed, Murakan was convinced of that. It was impossible even for his prime self.
However, he judged that the damage she had suffered wasn't enough to hinder Zephyrin from continuing the battle.
'It seems we caught quite a troublesome one.'
What could be considered fortunate was that Jin's will to cut through the spatial rift had just completed.
Zephyrin had been momentarily distracted by the unexpected blows and pain. Zephyrin's eyes darkened as she saw the blue flame burning brightly in Bradamante along with the shadow force.
Swish!
Bradamante's blade created a bright and sharp trajectory in the dark subspace.
Then, as if a dimensional portal opened, the subspace expanded and revealed the outside.
On the other side of that portal, they found themselves back in the reception room where they had started, with no items destroyed and everything intact.
And in the next moment...
The group discovered something they hadn't expected: one of Zephyrin's weaknesses.
'Her size decreased as soon as I cut through the subspace...!'
They could sense it intuitively.
The fact is that Zephyrin can transform into her true form only in this subspace.