Kai barely managed to open his eyes, his head pounding and his entire body aching from the strain of the soul transfer.
For what felt like an eternity, he had been trapped in a strange trance. He couldn't see or hear what was happening around him, his sole focus consumed by the overwhelming task of staying awake and enduring the sudden surge of energy coursing through him.
When he finally regained consciousness, the sight that greeted him was unlike anything he could have anticipated.
A single woman stood protectively before him, facing down a swarm of powerful attackers. Her presence radiated authority and strength, a force of nature in human form. Her long, flowing hair swayed with the currents of mana surrounding her, and her enormous scythe glinted in the dim light.
This was not Isla. Kai didn't recognize her.
Who is she?
Before Kai could fully process the situation, the heads of three attackers were severed in an instant. He blinked, and it was already over. The woman's movements were impossibly fast, her strikes so precise and fluid that his eyes couldn't follow them.
"Leave," she said coldly, her voice calm but commanding. "I'll hold them off."
Kai frowned, confusion and suspicion flashing across his face. Why was this stranger helping him? What did she stand to gain?
But survival instincts quickly overrode his questions. There was no time to hesitate. Without a word, Kai turned and began running as fast as his battered body would allow, heading for the nearest opening in the crumbling Corrupted Tree.
The outer shell of the tree was collapsing around him, massive chunks of bark falling to the ground and filling the air with a cloud of dust and debris. Kai navigated the chaos, the many gaping holes in the tree providing a clear path to freedom.
His heart pounded as he ran. When he glanced back, his vision was filled with blinding flashes of light and deafening explosions from the battle raging behind him. Two figures—beings of extraordinary power—clashed in mid-air at the core of the Corrupted Tree, their energy shaking the very foundation of the structure.
The woman wielded her scythe with unmatched skill, each swing an elegant yet deadly arc that seemed to carve through the air itself. Her movements were mesmerizing, every strike deliberate and precise.
Her opponent, the man, was brutish by comparison. He relied on raw power and relentless aggression, hurling energy-infused attacks with reckless abandon. His skills, while powerful, lacked the finesse of the woman's calculated maneuvers.
Despite his strength, Kai could tell the woman was in control. She held her ground with ease, her scythe slicing through the man's attacks as though they were nothing more than nuisances.
Even Shing's lackeys, who lingered at the edges of the battlefield, seemed paralyzed by fear. None dared pursue Kai, their respect—or terror—for the woman evident in their inaction.
'Isla, where the hell are you?' Kai thought desperately as he neared the edge of the Corrupted Tree.
As if in response, the fairy appeared before him, her small frame visibly trembling and her breaths ragged. Without saying a word, she dove into his Monster Core, seeking refuge.
'I-I'm here… Let's go,' Isla said weakly in his mind.
With Isla safely within him, Kai sprinted out of the Corrupted Tree, leaving behind the chaos of the battle that still raged at full force.
***
Meanwhile.
"Why are you doing this, Myre?! Why are you letting an anomaly as dangerous as him leave unscathed?! What is your goal for doing this?!" Shing bellowed, his rage boiling over and seeping into his every movement. His attacks grew more violent, each strike more erratic and forceful than the last.
Myre deflected his blows effortlessly, her scythe spinning in graceful arcs that neutralized his every move. As she parried his attacks, her eyes flicked briefly to the tree's edge, where she spotted the small Nocturne Dragon disappearing into the distance.
Good. They'll survive, Myre thought, a quiet relief washing over her. She knew the stakes. If anyone followed Kai, Isla might be forced to use her powers—and then the secret of his identity, and who he was connected to, would be revealed.
'With this, my debt will be fulfilled, Varkul,' Myre thought, the image of an old man flashing in her mind. She didn't miss him—not the man he had become in his later years. But a promise was a promise, and Varkul had left her no choice but to honor their agreement.
"Answer me!" Shing roared, his voice filled with desperation. "Why are you helping him?!"
Myre let out a light, almost teasing laugh. "I already told you. I thought it would be fun to see how powerful someone like him could become. That's all."
"Fun?! He's dangerous! That's why we were sent to eliminate him!" Shing spat, shaking his head in disbelief. "Did you even see his Monster Core?!"
"I did," Myre said, a smirk tugging at her lips. "It was fascinating."
"Fascinating?!" Shing's face twisted with frustration. "I couldn't make sense of it! It's unlike anything I've ever seen. His core doesn't belong to any known race. It's as if it's free to evolve into whatever its wielder desires! And that's a lower-ranked core. Who knows how powerful he'll become in the future?!"
"Exactly," Myre replied, her smirk widening. "That's what makes it interesting."
Shing growled, closing his eyes for a moment as if to steady himself. When he opened them, his expression was cold and resolute.
"Fine. I tried to reason with you, but it seems you won't listen."
A thick barrier of mana formed around Shing, absorbing Myre's attacks like they were nothing. Inside the shield, he began channeling energy into his hands. A small orb of mana appeared, glowing faintly at first, but it quickly grew in size and intensity.
The energy radiating from the sphere was overwhelming. Within moments, it had expanded to a size larger than Shing himself, and it continued to grow, pulsing with deadly power.
Myre's playful demeanor faded as she studied the massive energy construct. Her eyes narrowed.
'This could actually be dangerous,' she thought, not for herself but for the realm. An attack of this magnitude could easily obliterate a significant portion of the first realm.
"You're willing to destroy your own realm just to kill me?" she asked, her voice sharp with disdain. "How pathetic."
Shing let out a deranged laugh. "Let's see you stop this."
The colossal sphere of mana surged forward, hurtling toward Myre with devastating speed.
She raised her palm toward the attack, her lips moving silently as she uttered an incantation. A faint glow surrounded her hand as she prepared to intercept the attack.
'This might hurt a little,' Myre thought with a resigned sigh.
The world held its breath as the massive energy sphere closed in.