"It's no good—their power is too pure, and it's inexhaustible!" Chizuru shouted urgently to Cloud while fending off the flames. "They're linked to the entire arena, even to Otoma=Raga's power! Without severing the connection, they're immortal!"
"Oh? You finally figured it out?" Otoma=Raga's lazy voice drifted from the throne. "That's right. At this dining table, I am the rules. They are part of those rules."
"Is that so? Rules are made to be broken!"
Cloud's voice rang out. He hadn't entered the fray himself but instead snapped his fingers at his harem squad.
"Ladies, time to get to work! We can't let the Sacred Treasures hog all the spotlight in the opening act!"
"Roger!"
With a spirited cry, Mai Shiranui charged out first.
But she no longer wielded an ordinary fan—it was the "Vermilion Phoenix Solar Fan," custom-forged for her by Cloud using the Dimensional Furnace.
"Super Special—Deadly Ninja Bees Kai!"
Mai's figure transformed into a crimson streak, but her target wasn't Chris—it was an empty corner of the arena!
"Amaterasu's Solar Blaze!"
She drove the fan into the ground, and a pure white solar flame—fusing Shiranui-style fire with Yatagarasu's solar power—erupted instantly, spreading across the arena floor like a virus!
That section of the arena began to melt and disintegrate!
"Hm?" Chris frowned. He felt his energy connection to that area being "burned away" by this peculiar flame!
"Nice work, Mai!"
Athena's voice rang out as she floated in mid-air, her eyes glowing with sacred pink light.
She wasn't singing. Instead, she converted all her psychic power into an invisible mental shockwave!
"Phoenix Arrow Soul!"
This mental attack didn't target the enemy—it struck directly at the arena's energy core!
Hummm—!
The entire temple's energy flow stuttered for an instant due to the psychic impact!
"Now!"
Maki Kagura and Shermie—a seemingly mismatched pair—displayed astonishing coordination in that moment.
"Yata Divine Speed Blessing!" Maki formed hand seals, and a golden halo enveloped Shermie.
"MAX Lightning Fist!" Shermie raised her right hand, calling down heavenly thunder.
But under Maki's "Divine Speed" enhancement, what she summoned was no longer ordinary lightning—it was dimensional thunder wrapped in spatial laws!
"Thunder of Judgment!"
Shermie hurled that space-rending dimensional lightning at Yashiro, who was still engaged with Kyo!
Sensing danger, Yashiro immediately abandoned Kyo, crossing his arms before his chest and drawing upon the earth's power to defend.
However, the lightning's target wasn't him at all!
The dimensional thunder executed a bizarre turn just before striking him, instead hitting the ground beneath his feet!
CRACK—!
Centered on him, a hundred-meter radius of arena floor was forcibly "severed" from the entire temple's energy network by this spatial-law-infused lightning!
Yashiro's footing gave way—his connection to the planetary ley lines was forcibly interrupted in that instant!
"How is this possible?!" For the first time, Yashiro's face showed shock.
"Our turn!"
Mature and Vice shot forward like twin black lightning bolts, flanking Yashiro from both sides.
Their hand blades, enhanced by Cloud, could now easily slice through space itself.
"Heaven's Gate!"
"Negative Gain!"
Working together, they tore open a black rift leading to an unknown dimension in the isolated arena floor!
"We're not done yet!"
A clear, cold battle cry rang out as Leona descended from above.
She had already entered her "Blood of Finality" state—blood-red hair flowing, yet her eyes remained perfectly lucid.
"V-Slasher!"
She concentrated all her power into a massive crimson V-slash, aimed not at Yashiro but at the floor beneath him that was about to be dragged into another dimension!
BOOM!
The entire section of floor, along with Yashiro standing on it, was blasted into the spatial rift by Leona's full-powered strike!
The rift sealed instantly.
"Did... did they get him?" Ken watched from a distance, jaw dropped.
"No!" Cloud shook his head. "They only exiled him temporarily. Without completely severing his link to Otoma=Raga, he can come back at any time."
"Then... leave this one to me."
A cold voice spoke up.
Kula stepped forward slowly, her ice-blue eyes already transformed into brilliant gold.
"Stellar Core" mode, activated!
She extended her small hand toward Chris, who was still locked in combat with Iori and Chizuru.
A miniature "sun" radiating terrifying light and heat slowly rose from her palm.
"Absolute Zero Execution!"
In the next instant, ice and fire—two diametrically opposed forces—merged under her control in a contradictory yet perfect manner!
The miniature sun's outer layer was absolute zero capable of freezing all things, while its core burned with stellar heat that could melt anything!
This paradoxical energy sphere shot toward Chris at speeds exceeding light!
For the first time, genuine terror appeared on Chris's face.
He tried to dodge, but absolute zero's outer layer had already frozen him in place, unable to move a muscle.
He tried to defend with his azure flames, but before that "sun," his fire was as insignificant as a candle.
He could only watch helplessly as the "ice-fire sun" struck his chest.
No explosion. No thunderous noise.
Chris's body, along with the space around him and his energy link to Otoma=Raga, were in that instant completely and utterly annihilated into nothingness at the conceptual level.
The first battle ended.
The Earth Alliance, with near-overwhelming team coordination, had cleanly dealt with the enhanced "Divine Tribe."
The entire "Feast Throne" fell into dead silence.
Upon the throne, Otoma=Raga's figure slowly sat upright.
"Interesting..."
"How very interesting..."
"It seems I severely underestimated the... bite of this main course."
Her voice no longer held laziness and mockery, but now carried a hint of genuine excitement.
The prelude to the final battle ended with the Earth Alliance's complete victory.
But everyone knew that the true "feast" had only just begun.
...
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