A Blessing in Disguise

They say life is full of ups and downs. Truly, no one can predict what lies even an inch ahead. It was only a moment ago that I congratulated myself on my good luck. I never imagined my fortunes would flip so completely in a matter of minutes.

Murmur, you didn't dump all of this on me knowing this would happen, did you?

Of course, strictly speaking, it was her own fault for not retreating at the right time. Murmur had already finished everything that needed to be done. Once she confirmed the 'coordinates' were securely anchored, she should have just left. If you cause a scene in the middle of a city, you have to expect a backlash. She had underestimated humans too much, and now she was in a tight spot. No matter how she looked at it, she had brought this on herself.

Still, she had gained something from this. Even after balancing the good luck against the bad, wasn't she still technically ahead? Or was she?

"Ahaha..."

Astaroth let out a dry chuckle. Her hair, completely undamaged despite the fierce battle, still gleamed with a rich, lustrous sheen. Twirling a strand of her obsidian locks around her finger, she spoke.

"Shall we call it a draw?"

The response was a flash of lightning. Clad in thunder, a rapid thrust surged forward. It was a force far too intense to be wielded by a human of mere flesh and blood. Like an anti-aircraft gun targeting a fighter jet, it blasted forward in a straight line with a deafening roar. It was a strike as swift as lightning itself, but Astaroth deftly thrust her parasol forward to parry it.

"Does that mean you are surrendering?"

"Oh, come on, of course not."

I'm saying we should wave bye-bye instead of fighting. Let's settle this peacefully, okay?

"Not even worth listening to."

"I figured as much."

Astaroth nodded ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at Karlad's stern dismissal. Even to her own ears, it was an absurd proposition. Who in their right mind would listen to someone who had just torn everything apart and now wanted to call it quits? She hadn't expected them to agree in the first place.

"Then I guess we have no choice. Shall we play a little longer?"

Three Captains. She could handle two, but three was honestly pushing her limits. The Mains were the strongest, but they were not invincible. From here on out, she had to drop the playfulness and face them with everything she had.

Astaroth grabbed the edge of her Red Fox Mask. Without hesitation, she squeezed. Her fingers dug into the mask, creating fine cracks. Soon, the fractures spread from her fingertips, and the mask shattered with a crisp snap, like a stale cracker. This revealed the lower half of her face—the bridge of her nose, her lips, and her jawline.

A Main's 'mask' was no mere accessory. It was a tool to conceal their presence, as well as a seal that suppressed their power. While its primary purpose was to hide the Mains from the gaze of the gods, it naturally restricted a portion of their strength ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in the process.

"Now, let's play."

The petite pink lips, which had been hidden behind the Red Fox Mask all this time, curved into a beautiful smile. Yet, in her deep blue eyes, only a freezing chill lingered.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

The Captain of the 7th Division. After the previous Captain perished in the chaos of the Great Cataclysm, the seat of the 7th Division Captain had remained vacant for years. The reason was simple: there was no talent capable of filling it. The pinnacle is not easily reached. Thus, the seat gathered dust for four long years before finally welcoming its new master.

Kaen. Former Vice-Captain of the 1st Division. Current Captain of the 7th Division. The direct disciple of the Commander-in-Chief. A member of the new generation raised personally by the head of Cheonmyeongdae. Though she lacked the experience of the other Captains, her strength was beyond question.

"Hyaaaah!"

"Tsk, so noisy...!"

"Spirit! Fighting is all about spirit! That's what Master taught me!"

Astaroth watched Kaen, who was deflecting the rapid strikes of her parasol with her bare fists. A faint light enveloped Kaen's hands like gloves, protecting them. Every time the parasol collided with her fists, a deafening *boom! boom!* erupted. Each blow was heavy. No, 'heavy' didn't do it justice. It was monstrous. It made her wonder if these were truly the punches of a human.

Karlad's lightning sword and Isabella's icebergs were both incredibly powerful. However, those were strikes delivered with a certain level of preparation. They couldn't be spammed in rapid succession like this. In particular, Kaen's very first surprise attack had given even Astaroth goosebumps. Blood was still dripping from the torn flesh of her palm.

Her skill is inferior to Karlad's. It's even below that ice woman's. But her destructive power... that alone is top-tier. If I take a clean hit, I'll really be in trouble.

It was a simple, brute-force rush, yet Astaroth couldn't easily shake her off. Fists shrouded in light punched, punched, and punched again. They were so fast that they looked like dozens of hands. If Kaen were alone, it wouldn't be much of a problem. If she pushed with raw strength, Astaroth could overwhelm her with even greater strength. If that didn't work, she could suppress her with soft, flowing techniques. If she stayed focused and didn't let her guard down, she could spot occasional openings. Then she could simply coil around her like a snake and break her.

"Not bad, kiddo. You've grown since I last saw you."

Unfortunately, Kaen was not alone. A bone-chilling cold swept over them. Astaroth's legs suddenly stiffened. She didn't even need to look. Freezing frost was creeping across the ground, swallowing her ankles. If left alone, it would spread to her entire body. Astaroth immediately shattered the ice with the sheer strength of her legs. It was an instantaneous movement, but to the Captains who were eagerly watching for any opening, it was the perfect opportunity.

Thunder roared, and lightning flashed. Golden sparks scattered in all directions before suddenly converging into a single point. The sword of lightning was honed sharper than ever before. Spinning and compressing. The principle was identical to Yujin's Sun Sword. The only difference was how it was applied. While Yujin used it as a wide-range attack to sweep across a vast area, Karlad did the exact opposite. He compressed it to the absolute limit, raising its cutting power to an extreme degree. A lethal blade designed to utterly obliterate a highly concentrated area.

He swung diagonally. From her right shoulder to her left flank. The lightning shone majestically, poised to cleave Astaroth in half. Facing such an attack head-on would be sheer madness. Unless she wanted to be split in two along with her parasol, she had to dodge or deflect it.

"Load."

Light gathered in Kaen's fist. If it had been a faint glow before, it was now radiating so intensely that the outline of her fist was completely obscured. Her Supernatural Ability: Revolver.

It compressed energy and stored it inside her body in the form of cores. The maximum capacity was six. Kaen's combat style revolved around consuming this compressed energy. Because she drew upon pre-prepared energy, her attacks were incredibly swift and possessed overwhelming power. The rapid barrage that had shaken Astaroth was only possible because she had drawn a massive amount of energy from her second core.

While this alone made it an incredibly useful Supernatural Ability, its true power lay elsewhere. Loading the core itself as a bullet. A one-hit-kill ultimate technique that packed a massive amount of compressed power into a single strike.

She had already spent her first core on the initial surprise attack. Thus, Kaen crammed her second core into her right fist. Since she had already used up a lot of its energy, it would be less powerful than the first, but it was still terrifyingly potent. An earth-shattering amount of energy was packed entirely into the small space of her fist.

"Fire!"

Bracing herself with her sturdy legs to keep her balance, she threw her fist forward, adding the full rotation of her hips. It was a simple, telegraphed punch. Yet, the power contained within it was absolute.

What do I do?

In that split second, stretching her perception of time by dividing a single second over and over, Astaroth stared at the two oncoming flashes of light. She could dodge one, but not both. If she made a half-hearted attempt to dodge both, she would be sliced diagonally while her torso exploded. Even a Main would die from that. She wanted to let out a sigh, but as her perception of time slowed, her physical body slowed down as well. Her decision was made instantly. There was a limit to how long she could stretch time, so she couldn't afford to hesitate.

Astaroth immediately threw her body aside. The Thunder God Sword sliced through empty air. The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠air in its wake was heated to extreme temperatures, distorting the light. She succeeded in dodging, but she couldn't escape completely unscathed. Gritting her teeth against the searing pain, Astaroth pulled her parasol close to her chest.

KABOOOOOM!!!

The parasol crumpled slightly. The girl in the Red Fox Mask was blown away in a straight line like a ricocheting bullet. Astaroth hurtled through the air as if she had been fired from a cannon.

"Ahaha, ahahat! You fell for it! You fools, this is my 'escape route'! You've lost the battle of wits against me!"

She had intentionally let herself be hit by Kaen's punch. As a result, her internal organs were severely rattled, and blood welled up, spilling past her lips. However, she had succeeded in putting distance between herself, Karlad, and Kaen, so it was a cheap price to pay. Or was it? It felt like her ribs were shattered to pieces and piercing her lungs.

Still, retreating for now was a relief. Facing three Captains without a proper weapon was foolish. In the first place, her parasol wasn't a weapon; it was literally just a tool to block the sun. Although Astaroth's parasol was somewhat special, using it as a weapon didn't suit its purpose. They hadn't given her a single moment to draw a proper weapon, so she had been forced to fight with only her parasol. But that ended here. From now on, she would get serious—

A crisp clap echoed beautifully. Isabella pressed her hands together as if in prayer. Starting from the ground beneath her feet, a pillar of ice erupted upward, piercing the earth. No, it wasn't a pillar. It was a head. A face, solemn yet terrifyingly distorted. Next, the torso formed. A giant body made of translucent ice. The exquisitely sculpted ice statue opened its eyes wide, as if it were truly alive. Separating its hands, which had been pressed together, it raised the edge of its palm toward Astaroth, who looked like an ant in comparison.

This technique is...?

A scene from the past overlapped with the present. Back then, it had been made of rock instead of ice, but the appearance was strikingly similar. It was Angelica's technique, which had even earned a bit of admiration from Astaroth. However, even at a glance, this one was far more refined. Ah, so the original owner of this technique was...

*Thud!* The ground was completely overturned. A tremor so violent that it was difficult to even stand spread outward like ripples from an earthquake. The earth split open, and debris soared into the air like bamboo shoots after rain. A shockwave powerful enough to uproot cherry blossom trees buried deep in the ground swept through, leaving behind a thick cloud of dust that heavily obscured their vision.

"Watch closely, kiddo,"

Isabella said to Kaen, who was staring at the Guardian King in awe.

"This is how you throw a punch."

Grinning, she flicked her finger. At its creator's command, the Guardian King squared its massive shoulders. Pulling its forearm back, it punched forward without a moment's hesitation.

*Boom!* The ground shook once more. The earth cracked open in ugly, jagged lines. A series of deafening explosions erupted, echoing as if they would tear the entire park apart. Yet, unsatisfied, the Guardian King continued to pummel the helpless ground. The giant's fists crushed everything they touched with absolute equality. In an instant, a vast ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠crater formed in the center of the park. Even so, the barrage did not stop. As if determined to eliminate any chance of survival, the Guardian King's fists kept pounding the earth flat.

"……Huh?"

Isabella let out a confused sound. The ear-splitting explosions had suddenly ceased because the Guardian King had abruptly stopped punching. But it had no choice. It couldn't throw punches without fists. The Guardian King raised its forearms high. Both of its arms were dripping cold water, rapidly losing their shape.

"They melted?"

My ice? How on earth...?

"Ah... I really didn't want to use this..."

The answer to her question appeared immediately. Astaroth muttered, brushing away the blood-soaked strands of hair clinging to her face. Atop her highly raised parasol, a vermilion flame was burning. As if to show how much she truly detested using it, she bit her lower lip slightly. Swinging her parasol to clear the mist-like steam, Astaroth looked up from the bottom of the crater. The ground had collapsed dozens of meters down from the sheer force of the pounding.

"I've broken my 'mask' and even used my 'ability'... *Sigh*, I don't have much 'active time' left."

The time she could deceive the eyes of the gods was running out. She had to leave this place as quickly as possible. That had been her plan from the start, but now the clock was ticking even faster. Of course, the Captains, who were watching her with hawk-like intensity, wouldn't just let her walk away... Yeah, this was a desperate situation. Yet, despite being cornered, there was no trace of panic on Astaroth's face. Instead, a faint smile played on her lips.

"Pfft."

"What's so funny?"

Karlad furrowed his thick brow at Astaroth's chuckle.

"Because I figured it out."

Your fatal weakness. The way to turn this entire situation around.