Sei's Crimson Curse paralyzed the lizard assassin, Hagu, by transferring the poison he'd inflicted on her. His touch had triggered her ability, allowing her to swap their physical states, including injuries and sensations. Combined with the time manipulation of her Crimson Eye, Sei rewound their positions, seamlessly exchanging their conditions. The Crimson Curse could only affect one being at a time, requiring physical contact—either her touching or being touched—to transfer or receive a body's state within a minute.
Driven by desperation and rage, Hagu fought the paralysis, struggling to stand and attack Sei. "You won't defeat me with such a pathetic trick! I won't die like this!" he roared, staggering forward. But Agane swooped in, her fist smashing into his face with bone-crushing force. The ground shattered beneath him, his skull caved in, and the assassin fell lifeless.
"Your Majesty, are you alright?" Agane knelt before Sei, voice trembling with guilt. "Forgive my failure to protect you."
Sei gently touched Agane's head, silencing her. "You did well, prioritizing Zhui's aid in battle." Zhui landed beside them, echoing Agane's apology for failing to guard Sei. "Don't worry," Sei reassured. "I'm your queen, and it's my duty to protect you to the best of my ability."
"Your Majesty, please, let me fight," Agane pleaded. "Return the ring you entrusted to the Soul Eater. Like before, I can be your sword in this battle." Sei shook her head, insisting this fight wasn't Agane's. Despite Zhui's failure against Juggernaut, Sei's faith in her remained unshaken.
Zhui, stung by her shortcomings, supported Agane's plea. "The gap between my abilities and Juggernaut's is too wide. Even with the ring's energy, my sword can't break his natural barrier." Sei listened silently, then stepped forward.
"I know Juggernaut is stronger than you, Zhui, but you're the only one who can face him now," Sei said. Pointing skyward, she added, "He's not our greatest threat. That one is far more dangerous." Her gaze fixed on Katshira, the siren, hovering on her stingray.
Sei revealed that Katshira knew the Crimson Eye's weakness—its reliance on line-of-sight—and stayed at a distance to avoid Sei's gaze. Agane and Zhui realized they'd been so focused on Juggernaut's overwhelming power that they'd overlooked the siren, their true leader.
"If she keeps attacking from that range, we'll be forced to defend until our energy runs dry," Sei explained. "Zhui, you can't fight her in the air, but Agane can. That's why I wanted her to rest earlier." She cautioned that taking the Hakuden Crystal from Zhui would leave her defenseless against Juggernaut, straining Sei's ability to protect her with the Crimson Eye's time limits.
"But, Your Majesty, even if I can still fight, I'm not sure my wind magic can defeat her," Agane protested. "She wields a powerful Crimson Item with limitless energy."
Sei met Agane's eyes, silencing her doubts. "Don't fear. You're with me. Entrust your lives to me, and I swear I'll fight beside you until death." A golden aura erupted around Sei, spawning countless magic circles that shimmered and vanished into the air.
Zhui felt the overwhelming energy radiating from Sei, surpassing even Juggernaut's presence. "So powerful," she whispered. The aura enveloped Sei's territory, sensed by Katshira and her forces. The siren hesitated, aware of Sei's imminent move. "Mother warned me to avoid Columbus Espadas, but I can't stop now—I've lost too much," Katshira muttered.
Surveying her dwindling forces, Katshira knew destroying Galica's borders required more troops, but with only three opponents, she saw an opportunity. As a spellcaster like Sei, she believed maintaining distance would let her anticipate Sei's attacks. But then, her water sharks began vanishing. "What's happening?" she gasped, noticing Sei's glowing magic circle. Within her territory, Sei controlled time itself.
A colossal clock of golden energy materialized in the sky, its presence chilling Katshira. "Think you can scare me?" she shouted, raising the Oblivion Staff. A massive magic circle formed, summoning hundreds of water sharks to attack again.
"Agane, end this fight while there's still time," Sei urged. "My energy has limits, so we must win quickly."
Agane's aura blazed, her wings and tail thrashing. "I won't fail you, Your Majesty!" she declared. The ground cracked as she launched skyward, streaking toward Katshira with blinding speed.
Sei turned to Zhui. "Be ready. You must keep *him* away from me." She touched Zhui's head, soothing her like a child.
"Do you have to do that? I'm not a kid!" Zhui grumbled. Sei explained she couldn't protect herself while manipulating time, making her vulnerable to Juggernaut's attacks. She couldn't guard both Agane and Zhui simultaneously but vowed to do everything possible to aid them.
The ground exploded as Juggernaut charged toward them. Zhui, knowing she had to protect Sei, rushed to meet him. "Yahh!" she cried, clashing with his fist. The force sent her skidding back, but she held her ground. Serphia warned, "Don't let him hit you. You'll either be crippled again, or Sei will take your injuries."
Zhui moved swiftly, exploiting her speed against Juggernaut's massive frame. His size slowed his recovery after attacks, giving her openings. But, as before, her strikes left no mark on his armor. "It's useless," she thought, frustration mounting.
In the sky, Agane battled Katshira's water sharks, shattering them with wind strikes. Their numbers seemed endless, so she targeted the siren's magic circle. Summoning a massive wind circle, she unleashed a tornado that swept away the sharks and crashed into the siren's spell, destroying it.
Katshira, anticipating Agane's move, conjured another circle, releasing a water snake to counter. It dodged Agane's claws and coiled around her, aiming to crush her neck. Fear gripped Agane—she thought escape was impossible. But before its jaws closed, she vanished, reappearing in a blur, charging Katshira. The siren cast another circle, summoning a snake, but Agane was faster, shredding it with a swipe.
Now face-to-face with Katshira, Agane grinned, radiating energy. "My turn." Katshira tried to shield herself with water, but Agane grabbed her throat, hurling her to the ground. The impact shook the earth. Not stopping, Agane summoned a wind circle, bombarding Katshira with relentless wind strikes. Katshira raised a water jellyfish as a shield, but Agane's barrage chipped away at it.
Spotting Katshira's attempt to flee on a water snake, Agane sneered, "You think I'll let you escape?" She dove, overtaking the snake and punching Katshira back to the ground. Examining her water-slicked hand, Agane realized, "She's using water to absorb my attacks' damage."
A massive water geyser erupted, Katshira perched atop it. Agane knew that as long as Katshira had energy for water magic, defeating her would be near impossible. "Enough. It's time to end you," Katshira declared, raising the Oblivion Staff. A blinding light erupted, forming a colossal magic circle. "Water God Frio, Great White Whale!"
A deluge poured from the circle, forming a hundred-foot water whale that engulfed Agane, trapping her inside its liquid body. "It's hard to move in here. I need to escape," she thought, summoning a wind strike. It passed through the whale harmlessly. "Don't waste your energy," Katshira taunted. "Frio's water dimension drowns its captives. It reforms as long as water exists, impervious to attacks."
She raised her staff again, summoning water sharks into Frio's body to crush Agane. Struggling to move in the dense water, Agane held her breath, her wind strikes too weak to counter. The sharks bit and rammed her, unable to pierce her armor but dragging her deeper. "Damn it, I need a plan," she muttered.
"Your queen can't help you now," Katshira sneered. "The Crimson Eye needs sight to work, and she can't see you inside Frio." Agane knew she was right—Sei's time manipulation required a clear view, and the whale's opaque body blocked her.
Unable to breathe and battered by sharks, Agane conjured a wind shield, encasing herself in a bubble of air to fend off drowning and attacks. But she knew it wouldn't last—her energy would soon run dry. "This is bad. What do I do?"
On the ground, Sei stood with eyes closed, as if praying. Her golden aura swirled, her hair dancing in the wind of her own presence. Opening her eyes, she raised her hand. Time froze—leaves, debris, and even the air stilled in an eerie silence, replaced by a howling wind. The battlefield seemed trapped in a dimension where every movement reversed.
"What is this presence?" Katshira gasped.
"The past will return to its original state. Restart," Sei intoned.
Time rewound, restoring everything to its prior state. Frio vanished, undone before its summoning, but Agane's wind shield remained, unaffected by Sei's power. Katshira stared, stunned. "She can rewind everything she sees, no matter the distance. Her power is as they say," she whispered. "Is this the true strength of the Time Keeper?"
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