Calling for Reinforcements? Fine, I’ll Call My Own!

"Kyouhei, have you figured out who it is? Is it DEM or... danger!"

Thud!

Mid-sentence, Shido Itsuka felt the ground quake beneath him. Instinctively, he dropped to the ground, disregarding his appearance—staying alive was far more important.

Having encountered countless superhuman forces during his efforts to "save" numerous Spirits, Shido's senses for danger had become unusually sharp.

"Hey! Get out of here, it's dan—" Lying prone, he shouted to the despairing civilians nearby.

Whoosh!

Before he could finish his sentence, hundreds of irregularly shaped chunks of ice, each over ten meters in diameter, whizzed past his head, trailing shards of frost. When they crashed to the ground, they rolled violently, crushing entire rows of buildings in their path.

In mere moments, countless civilians who had no time to escape met their untimely deaths.

Boom!

When gods clash, mortals suffer—an age-old truth laid bare.

"Damn it, Esdeath—Snowstorm—descended too suddenly! There wasn't even time to evacuate the civilians! She doesn't care about human casualties at all!"

Aboard the Fraxinus airship, standing in for Commander Kotori Itsuka, Kyouhei Kannazuki slammed his fist against the console in frustration.

Despite his usual flippant and erratic demeanor, witnessing such massive casualties right under his nose enraged him.

"If only we hadn't let our guard down. Complacency is our enemy!" Kannazuki fumed, his usually cheeky face uncharacteristically solemn.

According to prior patterns, Spirits generally took at least 24 hours after returning to their dimension before manifesting again. The time between manifestations varied, with some taking days or weeks.

But Snowstorm, manifesting mere hours after her last appearance, was unprecedented.

In the hours following the cessation of the spacequake alarm, most of Tengu City's survivors had already emerged from underground shelters, beginning the arduous task of rebuilding their shattered lives.

Tengu City's residents, accustomed to frequent disasters, had developed an almost indifferent attitude toward spacequakes and Spirit battles.

As long as you survive, life goes on—even if you have work the next day.

The sole difference this time was the magnitude of the destruction; half of Tengu City had been annihilated.

What nobody expected—neither the government nor the Ratatoskr organization—was that Esdeath wasn't a typical Spirit. Her sudden return had caught everyone off guard, leaving the civilians without time to flee.

As the battle's fallout continued to claim lives, the scene unfolding was a grotesque mix of brutality and grandeur.

"How could this...?"

Slowly lifting his head, Shido's pupils contracted as he took in the gruesome scene before him. Amidst the flying debris, countless flowers of blood and flesh bloomed beneath the collapsing rubble.

The air was filled with shards of icy blue, the ground lay in ruins, and severed limbs and bodies lay scattered, their blood frozen before it could even flow far.

For a moment, Shido felt an icy chill seep into his veins, slowing the very blood in his body.

But just as the freezing tempest threatened to engulf him, a sudden burst of bright light enveloped Shido, teleporting him away in an instant.

Moments later, the frozen gale swept through.

Crack, crack, crack!

A clear and crisp sound of ice expanding echoed across the frozen battlefield as fractures radiated outward.

At the epicenter of Esdeath's icy maelstrom, a space several kilometers wide was transformed into a wasteland of frost.

Buildings, vegetation, and even living beings within the area were obliterated in an instant, torn apart by the ferocious ice storm. Everything was ground into powder by the relentless force.

A towering ice tornado pierced the sky, while fragments of ice and frost rained down like a frozen apocalypse, constructing a city straight out of an ice age.

"I've figured it out—you all are just ordinary humans with superhuman powers. There's no discipline, no strategy. You're just throwing energy around like children playing at war!"

Strength can certainly overcome skill, but when strength alone doesn't suffice, technique becomes critical.

"Your teamwork is worse than that of new recruits in the Imperial capital. You fight like you're playing house!"

Her icy rapier clashed against Tohka Yatogami's massive sword. With a swift sidestep, Esdeath drove her foot straight into Kotori's abdomen.

Boom!

A deafening explosion rang out as a massive bowl-shaped crater formed beneath Esdeath's feet.

A pained cry pierced the air, scattering the icy dust. Wreathed in flames, the red-haired girl was sent flying, her petite form skidding across the frozen ground and carving out a series of craters.

As she kicked Kotori away, Esdeath used the recoil to vault into the air, gathering strength in her grip on the icy blade.

Thud!

"Ugh—!"

Tohka, already battered, was further pressed into the ground, her sword buried deep beneath her.

A semicircular depression formed around her, the frozen ground collapsing inwards as though fields of ice had been trampled.

"Damn it! Why are you so strong?!"

Arms trembling, Tohka struggled to hold her massive sword aloft, but the pressure of Esdeath's thin rapier felt like an unmovable weight.

"Strong?" Esdeath chuckled softly, disdain evident in her tone.

"You still don't understand, do you? It's because you lack any real comprehension of your power. You have no technique, no experience."

"If you want to fight, call someone stronger. This is too boring."

With that, Esdeath's free hand glowed with a frigid blue light. Completely disregarding Tohka's enormous blade, she pulled back her fist and punched it directly into Tohka's face.

The heavy impact of fist meeting flesh echoed like a drumbeat.

"Don't... don't you dare hurt Tohka!"

"Zadkiel!"

From a distance, Yoshino's trembling voice cut through the chaos. Her spirit energy erupted, shrouding her surroundings in mist.

Only when unleashing her Angel did Yoshino finally feel as though she had wrested a shred of control over the ice and snow surrounding them.

Previously, her attacks had felt treacherously traitorous, their every move co-opted by Esdeath to strike at Kotori and Tohka instead.

The mist cleared to reveal a towering figure of white—a colossal, monstrous rabbit-like puppet.

"Ice Thorns," Esdeath muttered, not even sparing the creature a glance.

Countless sharp spikes of ice erupted from every corner of the frozen wasteland, converging toward Yoshino and her puppet mount.

"F-Four... Fourty-seven! Quickly, use the Ice Armor!"

With a high-pitched roar, the massive white rabbit bounded through the icy battlefield, narrowly evading the encroaching thorns.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Squelch! Squelch!

Esdeath continued to rely on her signature technique, weaving deadly results with simple efficiency. With just a flick of her fingers, countless icy spikes erupted from the surrounding frozen ruins, spreading wide and dense across the battlefield.

In the blink of an eye, the giant rabbit puppet was riddled with wounds, countless slashes and gashes carved across its body.

"How dull... This level of resistance is disappointing." Esdeath glanced down dispassionately, musing over her next move. "Cornelia, transmit the collected data back. Whether to attack or hold remains Robert's decision."

Just as she prepared to contact her Hunter Division, a voice cut through her thoughts.

"We're not finished yet!"

The double-bladed battle axe blazed with fiery intensity. Kotori Itsuka's crimson eyes were wild with fury, and her crazed grin mirrored her resolve. With a ferocious roar, she charged directly at Esdeath.

"Is she losing control?" Esdeath muttered, arching a brow at the reckless assault. "Tch... This mission is proving to be a disappointment. Even the entity responsible for the Eurasian Cataclysm hasn't appeared... Very well. I'll force you out."

Boom!

The earth beneath Esdeath shattered as she propelled herself skyward. Tossing aside her ice blade, she surged toward Kotori's flaming axe.

Esdeath's combat style had been profoundly influenced by a certain someone's penchant for close-quarters brawls. Besides her expertise in fencing, she had thoroughly honed her unarmed combat skills.

Buzz!

Her forearm shimmered into a deep blue as frost crystallized along its surface. She swung her fist with meteoric force, crashing it against Kotori's flaming battle axe.

BOOM!

The resulting shockwave resembled the force of a typhoon, clearing the battlefield of all rubble and ice fragments in an instant.

Though her Camael axe withstood the blow, Kotori's wrist fractured under the immense pressure.

Her red Elohim Gibor spirit armor groaned audibly, fabric-like sections shredding with a sharp rip.

Agonizing pain shot up Kotori's hand, wrist, and forearm. The impact sent her reeling mid-air, unable to stabilize, before she crashed onto the icy ground below.

"Kotori!"

"You're all so weak... Fighting you barely stirs my enthusiasm," Esdeath declared, extending her right hand. A glowing blue orb of energy materialized in her palm.

Buzz!

A massive beam of icy energy shot forth, aimed directly at Tohka Yatogami, who had risen to charge once more.

"Throne!"

Tohka's defiant shout echoed as a spinning black sphere in the sky expanded rapidly before crashing to the ground. A massive, throne-like structure of metal emerged, shielding her from Esdeath's freezing beam.

"You're strong, Esdeath," Tohka panted, her voice resolute. "But for Shido, I won't lose. Final Form—Sword of the End!"

Crack!

A surge of violet spiritual energy enveloped her, shattering Esdeath's beam. Cracks spread across the surface of the throne as the radiant energy burst outward. With a final snap, the throne shattered into countless fragments.

The fragments were drawn toward Tohka's Sandalphon, merging into a massive, over ten-meter-long greatsword that exuded an ominous aura.

"Take this, Esdeath!"

"...This is your trump card?" Esdeath sighed, her expression flat. "So this is the best you can do."

Robert had specifically requested that Esdeath refrain from using wide-scale destructive techniques, as they could disrupt this world's technological equilibrium.

Adhering to this, Esdeath had held back considerably during her battle, merely playing along with these Spirit girls while scanning for potential threats.

Her true concern lay with the entity responsible for the Eurasian Sky Disaster—the only being in this world she deemed worthy of caution.

"Fine. Mahapadma."

As Esdeath uttered the phrase, the crimson mark on her chest began to glow faintly. A pale blue sphere of energy materialized before rapidly expanding, engulfing the battlefield.

Before Tohka could react, the entire world within this space turned a frosty blue.

Shards of falling ice hung suspended mid-air. The distant swirling ice tornado froze in place. For one breathless moment, everything ceased to move.

Calmly, Esdeath approached the immobilized Tohka, conjuring a sharp ice spear in her hand. Without hesitation, she drove the spear through Tohka's chest, directly into her heart.

Squelch!

"Game over," Esdeath muttered coldly. "Let's see if that one shows up."

As the pale blue sphere faded, time resumed its flow. Shards of ice tumbled to the ground, scattering like crystal rain.

Cough!

Blood poured from the wound in Tohka's chest, spilling onto the frozen ground. She collapsed to her knees, her greatsword clattering from her grip.

"Es... Esdeath, you..." Tohka sputtered, blood staining her lips.

"It's over," Esdeath replied, her finger pressing against Tohka's forehead.

"Freeze."

"Tohka!" Kotori cried out.

"You're next," Esdeath declared, vanishing from sight.

Crash!

In an instant, Esdeath reappeared before Kotori, who had barely managed to rise. With a devastating stomp, she drove Kotori deep into the frozen ground, creating a network of deep cracks.

Kotori felt her chest cave under the brutal blow. The pain surged through her body as though her organs had been pulverized.

Splat!

She spat blood, her trembling hand clutching at her shattered ribs.

"Your arm was shattered earlier, and this attack should've been fatal. Yet you're healing at an astonishing rate... Is it the flames? A phoenix's regenerative ability, perhaps?"

Esdeath's high heel pressed down on Kotori's chest as she observed her curiously.

Coughing blood, Kotori struggled to speak. "What... is your goal...?"

"World domination," Esdeath replied simply.

Ignoring Kotori's panicked expression, Esdeath retrieved a metallic cube from her belongings.

Buzz!

The cube emitted a faint violet-red glow as Esdeath activated it.

"Robert?" she called out, her tone bored.

Crackle... Static...

Hearing the communication connect, Esdeath continued, "Robert, based on what I've observed, you're being overly cautious. This world doesn't possess particularly advanced technology overall..."

"It seems to have a few standout inventions, but as for supernatural beings—they're comparable to high-level Danger Beasts at best."

"Cornelia and the others will upload detailed data soon. Whether to launch a full-scale attack is up to you."

"Robert? Are you listening—"

Before she could finish, a familiar cold voice came through, cutting her off.

"Little Esdeath."

Hearing that chillingly familiar tone, Esdeath reflexively stood at attention.

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