Turning your back on the enemy is always a risk.
It would be one thing if the enemy lacked the strength to harm you, but Altira knew that the snake woman was capable of inflicting damage.
After pushing Altera away, the snake woman turned without hesitation and charged toward the city wall, completely disregarding Altera behind her.
Is she completely lost or is there a hidden trap?
Altera thought but didn't slow down.
Whether the enemy was mad or had another plan, it was crucial to stop her actions.
The snake woman's movements were quick, but Altera was confident that by releasing her Noble Phantasm, she could reach her target in time. Even if she couldn't defeat the enemy outright, she could at least delay her. The power of the God of War Sword was immense, and even at its initial level of release, it could easily withstand the snake woman's attacks.
Altera muttered the activation words for the Noble Phantasm, preparing to unleash it.
"Don't destroy their lives, just crush their civilization…"
However, Altera overlooked one possibility. With such a strong presence on the battlefield and gods typically reluctant to cooperate until absolutely necessary, she failed to consider the risk of a sneak attack.
Jeanne sensed the danger first and quickly turned to warn Altera. Almost simultaneously, the intuition granted by the star emblem on Altera'sbody also signaled danger.
But it was too late.
Chains erupted from the ground and wrapped around Altera, while golden rays of light poured down from the sky, attacking her with almost no blind spots.
Altera's intuition screamed that she was in grave danger. She didn't possess divinity at this moment, and her opponent's strength was formidable. The sudden assault blocked all escape routes, and every attack threatened to penetrate her defenses. It was a challenging situation.
Despite this, it wasn't impossible to handle.
The activation of the Noble Phantasm required a massive amount of magical energy, which slowed her reaction time, and the enemy chose this moment to strike. But this also meant that the conditions for releasing the Noble Phantasm were met.
Calmly, Altera chanted the name of her weapon. "I treasure life, but I will destroy that civilization! Photon Ray!!"
In her hand, the three-colored blade responded and spun violently, surrounded by a surge of magical power. A fierce three-colored whirlwind erupted, creating a storm around her.
The whirlwind shattered the chains and the golden attacks, but the enemy wasn't giving up easily. Almost simultaneously, a golden beam of light and more chains formed a massive golden spear from the north.
Altera, feeling the sharpness of the spear, sensed a deadly threat far beyond the previous attacks. The overwhelming pressure made it hard to breathe.
Altera gritted her teeth. The magical power infused into the Noble Phantasm was nearly depleted from the earlier explosion. While she could still use it, its power would be diminished.
This was likely the enemy's strategy—to either force her to use her Noble Phantasm and weaken her defenses or to overwhelm her with an attack while she was vulnerable.
Noble Phantasms often have low controllability once their True Names are revealed, leading to such vulnerabilities.
To make matters worse, Altera saw the snake woman's tail coming down heavily towards the city wall. Altera wanted to intervene but couldn't. She could only hope her allies would step in.
Despite the overwhelming situation, Altera felt a deep desire to protect the country and its people. She appreciated their resilience and spirit, which gave her sword and destruction a meaningful purpose.
But right now, Altera had to focus on the immediate crisis.
The remaining power of the Sword of the God of War was insufficient to fully counter the opponent. The enemy was incredibly strong, possibly beyond what most gods could handle. The attack was so powerful that Altera struggled to understand why the enemy hadn't used it against the city wall directly.
But there was no time for speculation.
The most pressing issue was the feeling of being completely overwhelmed. The approaching attack, known as the Wedge of Heaven, was designed to suppress and counter destructive forces like Altera's. As the golden spear neared, its power intensified, shaking the entire space.
Even the enemy might not have anticipated this. In this era, Altera was the only opponent capable of drawing out the full potential of this attack.
At the same time, the snake woman's tail struck down with immense force.