Let You Go? No Way!

The power gap between Ellen and Kaguya was staggering—saying Ellen had even a twentieth of Kaguya's strength was a stretch. In reality, it wasn't comparable. The forces Kaguya wielded—both the ancient chakra and the current dark energy—held the very essence of the planet, containing unimaginable power. Even when only tapping a fraction of it, this energy far outmatched anything humans could muster.

History, as always, seemed to have an eerie way of repeating itself, and this situation felt all too familiar.

Ellen's arms were twisted behind her back, her wrists held firmly by Kaguya's unyielding grip. No matter how much she struggled, it was futile, as if she were a small rabbit caught by the ears, unable to escape her captor's grasp.

Kaguya leaned in, her warm breath brushing Ellen's ear as she smirked, her expression hinting at mischief. "Does this feel familiar?"

Ellen's eyes widened at the reminder, her face flushing red as she recalled a previous humiliation. She clenched her lips, her struggling becoming even more intense, her wrist red from straining against Kaguya's grip.

After enhancing her CR-Unit display equipment, Ellen had been confident that her power had improved dramatically—enough, she thought, to finally defeat Kaguya. But now, it was clear that the silver-haired girl had been holding back all along. Could Kaguya's strength truly be twenty times hers?

How could that even be possible?

"Attacking while I was away… a convenient timing. And you even managed to rope in the AST and the Japan Self-Defense Force," Kaguya murmured, her fingers tracing Ellen's cheek as she chuckled softly. "Someone must have tipped you off."

The unexpected question caught Ellen off guard, and she froze before responding nonchalantly, "There was no tip-off. We only noticed you thanks to surveillance satellites."

"Surveillance satellites?" Kaguya's smirk widened. "Really now, are you sure?"

"Aah!" Ellen yelped, startled by Kaguya's sudden grip on her arm, her cheeks flushing an even deeper shade of red.

"Do you really think your outdated DE satellites would catch me?" Kaguya scoffed. "Those junky little toys of yours haven't got a chance."

Even if the sky were full of satellites and drones, Kaguya had taken precautions. She'd devised a technique upon arriving to shroud herself with energy, effectively blocking all detection signals. Even DE's strongest aerial sensors couldn't locate her presence.

"I told you, there was no tip-off!" Ellen insisted, her voice indignant.

"Still playing tough, huh?" Kaguya whispered into Ellen's ear, her warm breath sending a chill down Ellen's spine. "Let's see how long you can hold out."

"Ah!" Ellen cried out in pain, her body trembling under the pressure. Even the world's strongest mage had her limits.

"Confess now, and I'll spare you some pain. If you keep me waiting, I'll give you the same fate as that 'Jessica' you seem so fond of."

Ellen's face was a mask of conflict, her lips pressed tightly together as she considered her options. But Kaguya didn't leave her with much time to think.

A sudden jolt of pain sent Ellen's body into shock. Her face went blank, her mind unable to process the overwhelming sensations.

"So, have you thought it through?" Kaguya asked, smiling down at her captive. "Just remember, I don't have endless patience. Best to come clean. Otherwise…" Her gaze darkened. "Your fate will be no different than Jessica's."

Ellen's thoughts were scattered, her expression dazed and vacant. For a moment, she seemed to drift off, her mind spinning from Kaguya's words and actions—she had never been treated this way before.

"Still in a daze?" Kaguya tilted her head, studying Ellen's frozen expression with mild curiosity. "Maybe the shock was too much… or maybe I broke you." She sighed. "That would be a shame. We haven't even caught your informant yet."

Ellen's body jerked as though she'd been jolted awake. She looked up, her face flushed. "Please… stop," she begged, voice wavering. "I'll tell you everything… please, just let me go."

Kaguya's smile softened. "See? That wasn't so hard, was it?" She let out a satisfied sigh. "If you'd only cooperated sooner, we could have avoided all this trouble."

Ellen exhaled in relief, her shoulders slumping. But as her gaze fell on Kaguya's fingers, her cheeks flushed again.

"You're saying you don't know what she looks like either?" Kaguya's brows furrowed gradually, her tone sharp. "Are you trying to fool me?"

"No," Ellen quickly waved her hands, forcing a smile as she replied, "How could I possibly deceive you?"

"Then how could you not know what she looks like? Didn't you meet her at the time?" Kaguya asked, her gaze fixed intensely on her.

"We did meet," Ellen said, pinching her chin as if trying to recall something, "But it seemed like the appearance she showed us wasn't her real face."

"How did you know that wasn't her real face?" Kaguya immediately zeroed in on the key point.

"When she came to the DE company headquarters, she appeared as a woman in her twenties. But when she left DE company, she had taken on a completely different appearance," Ellen explained.

"A different appearance?" Kaguya asked, slightly taken aback. "And what did she look like then?"

"She appeared as a young girl, around her early teens, but her face was obscured by a large, wide-brimmed hat, so we couldn't see her clearly," Ellen answered.

"A girl in her early teens?" Kaguya pondered, pinching her chin thoughtfully. From what she remembered, she didn't seem to have ever offended any bratty kids, nor anyone else for that matter. Typically, anyone who crossed her path or anyone she had issues with had long since been dealt with.

One could say Kaguya was indeed someone who acted decisively.

Judging from Ellen's serious expression, she didn't seem to be lying. She likely wasn't foolish enough to try deceiving Kaguya at this point, especially since Jessica's body lay nearby, already stiffening.

"I...I told you everything. Will you let me go now?" Ellen stammered, her voice carrying a hint of fear after all that Kaguya had put her through, leaving her with an almost visible shadow of trauma. Her current timid demeanor was a stark contrast to how she had been before.

"Of course," Kaguya said with a smile. "I told you I would let you go, and I keep my word."

"Th-thank you." Ellen barely got the words out before feeling a pang of regret—why on earth was she thanking this person? It didn't make sense. After all the humiliation she had just endured, she was thanking her captor. It was baffling.

Ellen felt a sense of frustration.

However, things didn't go as she expected.

A mischievous smile played across Kaguya's delicate face, and with a hint of wickedness, she said, "I did say I'd let you go, but before that, I also mentioned that I'd have to teach you a good lesson for being so disobedient."

"You...you're not keeping your word!" Ellen looked at Kaguya's expression and felt a sudden surge of danger, sensing that something bad was about to happen.

"When did I say I wasn't keeping my word? I'm an honest, trustworthy young lady," Kaguya said as she took slow steps toward her, a slight smirk on her lips. "If you know what's good for you, stay still. Otherwise, you might end up enduring a lot of unnecessary pain, and that would be quite inconvenient for me."

"Don't come any closer!" For some reason, seeing the sly smile at the corner of Kaguya's mouth made Ellen panic. "You already promised."

"Indeed, I did." Kaguya narrowed her eyes, smiling as she spoke.

Suddenly, Ellen drew her laser sword, pointing it directly at Kaguya. With the sword in hand, a bit of her courage returned, and she felt slightly more in control. Biting her lip, she said, "If you come any closer, I won't be polite!"

"Not polite?" Kaguya mocked with a laugh. "As if you were ever polite to begin with. Such a dishonest girl."

As Kaguya continued to approach step by step, Ellen couldn't hold back any longer. She slammed her foot down, activating her Realizer Unit behind her. A powerful sonic boom burst forth, and with a thunderous roar, Ellen shot toward Kaguya like an arrow released from a bow.

"Your biggest mistake was not destroying my Realizer Unit. Now, prepare to die!" Ellen shouted, raising her arm as the laser sword blazed to life, descending with the force of wind and thunder.

"And who told you I didn't destroy it?" A smirk appeared on Kaguya's face. "Young girl, you're far too naive."

"Huh?"

Ellen's expression froze, and her large, beautiful eyes suddenly widened.

With a muffled "bang," sparks burst from the Realizer Unit behind her. The damaged device immediately lost power, and even the laser sword was extinguished.

And in Ellen's shocked gaze, she suddenly found herself falling forward, practically into Kaguya's arms.

"Who would have thought Ellen could be so bold and open," Kaguya teased, her arms tightening around her.

"No, no," Ellen stammered, still trying to mount one last bit of resistance. But without her Realizer Unit, she was weaker than even a regular middle school girl and had no strength to resist.

Kaguya didn't intend to let her speak further. With a wave of her hand, a grand, luxurious bed appeared on the ground—a splendid piece she had once owned in her former palace, now brought here as well.

With a gentle push, Ellen's body was involuntarily laid down on the bed. Just as she clumsily attempted to sit up, Kaguya leaned down, pressing her down firmly by the wrists.

"This...this can't be," Ellen panicked completely, twisting and struggling like a fish out of water.

"Why not?" Kaguya smirked devilishly, her hands moving to unfasten Ellen's clothes. "Don't worry; I've already set a barrier here. No one will be able to discover us. Even if you scream your lungs out, no one will come to rescue you."

"No...you can't!" Ellen attempted one final struggle.

But as Kaguya placed a light kiss near her ear, Ellen's entire body went stiff, paralyzed as if struck by lightning.

At this moment, Kaguya's exquisitely beautiful face displayed a satisfied smile as she gently traced Ellen's graceful curves. The touch was soft and resilient, as smooth as the finest silk, making it hard to resist.

And so, amidst the desolate ruins, the two girls shared an intensely intimate moment, their voices—a mix of soft sighs and gasps—floating like flute melodies, adding a touch of romance to the atmosphere.

For a time, it was as if the world had turned upside down, vibrant and limitless.

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