In the sky.
"Hey, where are you aiming?"
A composed voice came from behind.
The fallen spirit's vicious expression froze instantly. Turning around, she saw the youth who wished to tear her flesh from her bones riding a light sword as he flew up from below.
After replenishing with numerous magic potions, his spirit had become fully refreshed, his demeanor calm and at ease as if victory was already assured.
Only about five minutes had passed, leaving ample remaining time for the Mana Potion's effects.
Boom!
The evil dragon acted without hesitation.
Feeling deeply humiliated, she immediately spewed forth a crimson breath.
But Eiji remained completely unfazed.
If this were before, he would have been on high alert, forced to retreat on his sword against the evil dragon's full-powered breath. But now—
The golden light sword shot out in an instant.
Without making a single sound, the light sword slashed horizontally through the air!
A breathtaking flash of sword light vanished as quickly as it appeared.
The crimson breath was cleanly severed in two!
"My god, what am I seeing?"
"He cut through the breath attack?"
"Is that something a swordsman can even do?!"
Countless people on the ground were mesmerized by that single sword's brilliance, while numerous swordsmen began questioning their own skills, their expressions showing shattered worldviews and confusion about reality.
"There's nothing my sword cannot cut!"
Eiji smiled lightly.
An aura of effortless cool radiated from him, and one could almost hear the screams of countless adoring girls.
The light sword severed the fiery breath and, to the evil dragon's utter astonishment, struck with such speed that she couldn't react—decapitating her with a single slash!
Her lightning armor had clearly reformed over her entire body without a single gap.
Previously, even his full-powered light sword couldn't pierce the highly condensed lightning armor. Yet now, a single strike was enough to sever her head!
Swish!
A flash of light.
The female upper body shattered once more, exposing another prismatic magic stone that promptly disintegrated.
It was as easy as bullying a novice.
Eiji maintained his composed smile.
In truth, that had been his full-powered attack, but showing strain while showing off wouldn't be cool.
But now, everyone could see it.
The outcome was decided.
"But why is this happening?"
Tiona looked utterly perplexed. "Before, he was struggling so hard, barely gaining the upper hand after exhausting all his magic. How is it so easy this time?"
"You're really dumb, Tiona!"
"Don't call me dumb! I just don't like thinking too hard, Tione!"
"It's the magic stones."
While everyone else was lost in confusion, Riveria wore an expression of sudden understanding.
"True, the fallen spirit hid multiple magic stones within her body to evade Eiji's killing blow—a clever tactic indeed. But we mustn't forget that magic stones are the source of a monster's power."
She smiled elegantly, as if her earlier anxiety had been an illusion.
"By dividing her magic stones into several parts, she also divided her power among them. Once any magic stone is destroyed, the power contained within it vanishes completely!"
At the beginning, the evil dragon with six magic stones was at her peak.
But after Eiji destroyed four of her magic stones in succession, she was left with only about a third of her original power.
If the previous Evil Dragon was a calamity surpassing Level 8 and approaching Level 9, now she was merely an ordinary Level 8!
"There's no way Eiji would lose to such an opponent!"
Riveria declared with absolute certainty.
Eiji, having reached Level 7, was able to fight on equal terms with an Evil Dragon that surpassed Level 8. If not for his insufficient mana, he might have already won. How could he possibly struggle against an Evil Dragon whose power had greatly diminished?
To be honest, her words sounded a lot like tempting fate.
But at this moment, everyone witnessing Eiji's overwhelming advantage was immersed in the joy of imminent victory.
"With this, it's over."
Eiji's gaze shifted.
A golden light sword floated up beside him.
With only one magic stone remaining, the Evil Dragon's power had hit rock bottom.
Her roars and growls even carried a hint of fear to Eiji's ears.
Her curled-up body somewhat resembled a large cat encountering its natural predator.
He was about to thrust his sword forward, putting an end to this scheme of the evil god.
But then his movement abruptly stopped.
"Roar!"
The Evil Dragon let out a warning-like roar.
The muscles on her back squirmed before suddenly splitting open.
A human figure emerged from her back, with arms and lower body completely locked within her back muscles, leaving only the head and upper torso visible before the Divine Mirror.
Completely naked, with only her black hair covering her chest like divine light.
"I... what is this...?"
She raised her head, her crimson eyes filled with confusion, clearly bewildered by the current situation.
"Miss... Filvis?"
On the ground, Lefiya stared at the Divine Mirror floating in midair, frozen in shock.
Emerging from the Evil Dragon's back was none other than the White Priestess Filvis, who had been absorbed earlier.
Embedded in the center of her chest was another prismatic magic stone.
"Weren't there six magic stones in total..."
Eiji muttered under his breath.
The Fallen Spirit herself had six, and the Filvis she absorbed had one more.
So the total was actually seven.
Boom!
The Evil Dragon, carrying both the Fallen Spirit and Filvis, launched an attack simultaneously.
A massive claw appeared before Eiji in an instant.
At this distance.
At this speed.
Just a flick of the finger.
No, not even that—just a single thought!
With just a thought, he could completely annihilate this Evil Dragon that had brought despair to countless people like a calamity!
Yet Eiji maneuvered the light sword and retreated.
"How despicable!"
"Using a hostage!"
"That woman is Enyo's lackey—just kill her already!"
A wave of furious shouts erupted from the ground.
Though seemingly frenzied, the Fallen Spirit had always been intelligent.
Her intellect was strong enough to set traps in battle, so naturally, she could also resort to using hostages as leverage.
And she had no pride, so she wouldn't feel the slightest shame.
"That's right! Just like that!"
While everyone was cursing in outrage.
Only Dionysus laughed joyfully, dancing around as if drunk.
"Go for it, Filvis! You're the key to this battle now. I believe in you so much—you'll always be the most beautiful!"
Fifteen minutes!
Once this time limit passed, the Evil Dragon would remain invincible!
"Lord Dionysus..."
As if hearing his cheers, Filvis whispered softly.
The crimson-stained ground filled her vision, the horrific scene of corpses strewn everywhere piercing her heart like a sharp blade.
The noble nature of an elf forbade her from ignoring such chaos.
Yet on the other hand stood Lord Dionysus's trust—the very foundation of her loyalty.
"What should I do?"
She fell into confusion, her heart overflowing with anguish.