The situation in the tower grew increasingly dire as the Eskapa Sandata could only watch the unfolding chaos on their monitors. The screens displayed the relentless onslaught, with their soldiers and applicants steadily dwindling under the onslaught of Serenity's undead forces.
"There has to be something we can do besides sit here and watch our people die!" Pyun snapped, her voice sharp with frustration.
"Calm yourself," Yuki urged. "We can't act recklessly."
Pyun slammed her fist down, her anger flaring. "Calm? My soldiers are in there! I can't just let them be slaughtered!"
Even Rei, usually composed, pleaded for restraint. "Trust Ruri. We can't do anything unless she opens the portal."
"Damn it!" Pyun fumed. "We had a chance to enter earlier, but she stopped because of that human. Why would Ruri listen to him?"
Pyun couldn't fathom why Ruri trusted Nathaniel, a suspicious figure in her eyes, possibly tied to a Grand Chaos—the very beings Ruri's people despised. "We can't rely on a human when so many lives are at stake," she said.
They recalled Nathaniel's earlier conversation with Ruri, where he claimed there was a way to save them.
---
Minutes earlier, before Ruri's change of heart, Nathaniel had explained that Serenity's massive territory, the Land of the Living Dead, was a spell requiring constant casting, powered by her true body. The Sandata were stunned, doubting that the figure before them, brimming with power, wasn't Serenity's real form.
"The territory's weakness is stopping Serenity from sustaining the spell," Nathaniel said. "Her true body is on the first floor. We need to reach it to stop her."
"You're saying we have to get there and kill her?" Ruri asked, incredulous.
"No," Nathaniel replied. "Like I said, we can't kill Serenity, even if the territory falls. I'll go alone, but I need help to reach the first floor."
Ruri's eyes narrowed, anger flaring at what sounded like a joke. "Stop talking nonsense! If we can't kill her or defeat her without the territory, what's the point of you going?"
To them, Nathaniel—a mere human—couldn't possibly make a difference, even if he reached the first floor. "I can't kill her, but I can stop her," he insisted.
"How can you be sure?" Ruri demanded. "You can't even protect yourself!"
Her doubts boiled over, and she shouted, "Your words aren't helping! Do you think I'm thrilled about this? I'm telling you, I don't want to do this. I'm terrified and would rather flee to Galica, but I can't abandon you."
Nathaniel's voice softened. "You see me as a spy, an enemy, but I care about you all. I know your struggles, your dreams. I can't let them end here. I'm scared, but I'd regret not trying to change your fated deaths."
Ruri slammed her spear's butt into the ground, silencing him. "I don't understand your talk of seeing our future. Just answer one thing: how certain are you that you can stop her?"
Nathaniel hesitated, admitting, "Honestly, maybe ten percent. And that's shrinking every second."
Silence fell. Ruri sighed. "Fool."
She turned, brandishing her spear. "Those staying, help this fool reach the first floor."
Her subordinates knelt, obeying without hesitation. "I don't believe your words," Ruri said, "but if you want to prove you're our ally, do it with actions."
---
Minutes later, Ruri's team escorted Nathaniel. One carried him, racing down the tower's floors, while others cleared the path, fending off undead. On the twentieth floor, Ruri and Xxv battled relentlessly against the undead and the colossal dragon, Garuda.
Ruri obliterated waves of corpses blocking her path to Serenity, her spear's power unmatched. Meanwhile, Xxv faced Garuda alone, his Sanitoshi blade slashing futilely against its iron-like scales, his crimson flames ineffective. "Its armor's energy is too strong," he muttered.
Garuda unleashed another devastating energy blast, leveling the surroundings. Xxv dodged using his red smoke but knew he couldn't win without getting serious. "I can't hold back," he said, releasing a blazing aura as his Sanitoshi blades glowed. "Crimson Tornado Strike!"
He charged, enveloped in swirling flames, striking Garuda. The dragon staggered, its body scorched, but it took flight, shaking off the flames. "Spread and destroy my foe—Death Strike!" Xxv's red smoke enveloped Garuda, his blades slashing its wings, grounding it.
Yet, his strongest attack couldn't kill it. Another dragon blast erupted, too fast for Xxv to dodge. He blocked with his Sanitoshi, crimson flames flaring, but the blast overwhelmed him, sending him crashing through rocks. "It's stronger than I thought," he gasped. "Even my third-grade barrier shattered."
Injured but resolute, Xxv stood as more undead charged. "I can't use Supreme Mode on this dragon. I need to help Lady Ruri defeat the warlord." His red smoke and flames surged, cutting down undead with unwavering speed.
Meanwhile, Ruri fought to reach Serenity. "Show me who you are," Serenity taunted, grinning.
Ruri's spear transformed into a massive shuriken. "Giant Shuriken!" She hurled it with such force her feet sank into the ground. The shuriken shredded undead effortlessly, striking Serenity's hand. The impact cracked the earth, but Serenity caught it barehanded, unfazed.
Stunned, Ruri leaped, summoning another giant shuriken, then two more, hurling them as she fell. The blasts shattered the area, rocks flying. Hundreds of magic circles appeared as Ruri's eyes glowed. Giant cannons emerged, charging energy.
"Let's end this—Destraviton!" Energy balls rained down, obliterating the landscape, shaking the tower. A giant tombstone crumbled, its magic circle fading, halting the undead's emergence. Exhausted, Ruri collapsed to her knees, clutching her bleeding right eye, drained by her Crimson Eye's overuse.
The attack consumed immense energy, and her eyes ached, pushed beyond their limit. Overusing the Crimson Eye risked blindness or worse. As the dark presence vanished, Ruri exhaled, hoping she'd won. But as she stood, Serenity appeared behind her.
"Well done, little one," Serenity whispered.
Ruri froze, sensing the warlord's presence. She leaped to escape, but Serenity grabbed her leg. "Where do you think you're going?"
Ruri struggled, kicking with her left leg, but Serenity blocked it effortlessly, grinning. The kick's impact shook the ground, yet Serenity stood unmoved. "She's too strong," Ruri thought. "My strongest kick did nothing."
"Your turn's over," Serenity said, slamming Ruri into the ground, cracking the earth. She hurled Ruri into a boulder, shattering it, then kicked her deeper into the rubble.
Ruri summoned a massive shield, but Serenity's punch shattered it, sending her tumbling. Balancing precariously, Ruri barely stood when Serenity appeared, grabbing her face and slamming her into the ground, fracturing the terrain.
Clinging to Serenity's arm, Ruri summoned magic circles, conjuring chains to bind her. Her face contorted with rage as her Crimson Eye glowed. "Vanish!" she screamed. Energy particles spread, and an explosion rocked the tower, obliterating Serenity's arm.
Ruri leaped from the smoke, barely standing, her body battered, clothes torn, her right arm broken from the blast. "I didn't expect to hurt myself this badly, but I had to," she muttered, staunching her wounds with energy to numb the pain.
Blood clouded her vision as Serenity's overwhelming aura returned, pinning Ruri down. Serenity emerged, armless but unscathed, her body free of blood or pain. "Impressive," she said. "You broke my fifth-grade barrier with that explosion. It's been ages since anyone damaged me like this, even with my absolute defense."
Ruri, furious and despairing, couldn't believe Serenity was unaffected. "I executed my technique perfectly, but it did nothing," she thought, punching the ground in frustration as the curse mark spread across her body.
Summoning her last reserves, Ruri stood, glaring at Serenity. "Infinite Realm, Freya!" A red armor enveloped her, fueled by spirit and life energy—Supreme Mode, amplifying her strength fivefold for three minutes, at the cost of collapse or death if overused.
Serenity remained unfazed, smirking. "Supreme Mode? Ready to end our game so soon? You know it won't last, and if you don't defeat me in time, death awaits."
"I don't care," Ruri growled. "You're already dead, so I can't kill you again, right?"
Serenity laughed, raising her hand, inviting an attack. "Go wild, little warrior. Show me everything—"
Before she finished, Ruri charged, punching Serenity's face, sending her flying. She followed, grabbing Serenity's head and slamming it into the ground, shattering stone. Serenity, still smiling, enjoyed the fight. Ruri dodged her counterpunch, their fists clashing, cracking the earth.
Ruri noticed Serenity's hand regenerating instantly. "She's not skilled in close combat, but her endless energy and immunity to pain make her nearly invincible," Ruri thought.
Blocking another punch, Ruri summoned chains to bind Serenity again. Despite bleeding eyes, she forced her right eye open, activating her Crimson Eye. "One last time," she whispered. "Dome of Freya!"
Over a thousand magic circles surrounded Serenity, forming a dome. Xxv, witnessing it, gasped, "I've never felt such energy from a magic circle. Is this Lady Ruri's ultimate attack?"
Energy particles glittered like stars as Ruri punched with both fists, screaming, "This is judgment for your sins—Divine Judgment!" A blinding explosion obliterated the floor, shattering the ceiling and lower levels, shaking the tower. Half the twenty-fifth floor vanished.
Ruri plummeted to the fourth floor, unable to balance, collapsing. Her red armor dissolved, reverting her to normal. "I've reached my limit," she gasped. "I can't fight anymore."
Struggling to rise, her legs failed, broken. "I can't feel my thighs or hear anything. Am I dying?" She scanned the area, noting the tombstones' disappearance. "Did I do it? I don't know, but I hope I stopped her."
A suffocating aura enveloped the tower. A nearby corpse stood, its body splitting to reveal Serenity, unscathed. "Well done, Sandata," she said. "You're truly powerful, but too young to match my energy. In five hundred years, perhaps you could."
She admitted Ruri had "killed" her, a feat worthy of pride. Stepping closer, Serenity picked up a sword, explaining that strength and technique alone didn't win battles—experience did. She praised Ruri's skill, admitting her own reliance on raw power.
Standing over the kneeling Ruri, Serenity raised the sword. "You fought well, little warrior. Now rest." With a swift swing, she severed Ruri's head, sending it rolling across the ground.
Her team and the Sandata at Agata Tower watched in horror, their bodies weak with shock. "No… Lady Ruri," they whispered, unable to believe the loss.
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