In the heart of the fallen Cathedral, a once majestic structure now a haunting symbol of destruction attached to the pce, Mu Xue, Xavida, and V stood in their beautiful gowns, now marred with blood and dirt.


    The beautiful altar, made of crystal and marble, where Asura and V kissed moments ago, nowy in ruins, shattered into dust.


    V''s new de shimmered with the first taste of blood, her dress torn and ruined. Mu Xue''s cold eyes and blue skin emitted a freezing aura. Xavida''s backless dress served perfectly, as she hovers slightly with her lovely white wings carrying her light frame.


    "Is it over?" Xavida asked, her eyes scanning for Asura, only to find countless corpses and fallen cultists.


    "I don''t know, but the sky doesn''t seem natural." Mu Xue clutched her arm. A shback of her family being wiped out caused her to experience a strong sense of terror deep within. Unable to see Asura, she felt even more terrified.


    "Mu Xue, Xavida, both of you hurry and change and make sure that Asura''s mother and father are well. I will head to meet him." Her eyes looked at the pair, then bowed slightly with a modest plea. "Please allow me to be the one, as his wife. Next time, I will step aside."


    Mu Xue didn''tin or speak. She dashed towards the group of injured visitors in search of Asura''s family.


    Because the two women knew each other''s terms well, V and Mu Xue agreed topete fairly with each other when they first shed.


    "Eh? But I want to... Okay, but next time, It''s my turn!"


    Xavida''s eyes showed great reluctance before she saw even Mu Xue ept, thus pping her wings and checking the outskirts of the broken pce walls because many people fled for their lives. "I think Uncle Garret started fighting... Where did he fight? I forgot."


    ***


    V took a deep breath. Watching the two women also helping the fallen Silvarian people, she couldn''t help but hate her rivals. However, she wouldn''t give up her chance to be with Asura, even if they were nice.


    "Let''s go."


    With hasty steps, V rushed outside to where thergest amount ofmotion sounded, her eyes shimmering with amber light as she scanned the area.


    ''Where is he? Asura, are you okay?''


    She felt a sense of worry because of the damage dealt to the capital and the Valkyrie still executing the few traitors and low-grade cultists that remained. The sight was brutal, but after this attack, V no longer felt any sort of pity for them.


    "Mother? And who is that tall woman? I think we''ve met before, but I can''t remember."


    Queen Silvara stood with her sword aimed at a tall woman with the most pristine looks. V could only say she equalled Asura, maybe because her divine aura surpassed him slightly. Yet the thought of who was never urred to her as she rushed to support her mother.


    "Mother! I am here!"


    However, the moment she came close, her knees buckled and mmed into the ground—a heavy force caused her chest to tighten, and she struggled to breathe. "Eeh.... Gah....!?"


    "V!? Freyja! Remove your damn aura from my daughter right now!"


    The scream of the queen echoed through the former high street where the huge Silvara Sword stood, her hair fluttering violently as if in the centre of a storm while her body swirled with a dark purple cloud of magic.


    "Oh,e on. You really think your threats mean anything to me?"


    With a flick of her left foot, she kicked the queen, the force so intense with a cracking sound like ss smashed. Her magic aura shattered, shooting towards V as the blow sent her flying into the distant rubble of the Silvara Sword.


    "Gack!? FREYJA!"


    Bloodied and with trembling arms, the queen crawled herself out of the rubble, her eyes looking at V, who nowy over ten metres away, thanks to her using magic to save her.


    "Now, now. Don''t shout; I''m right here."


    Freyja grasped the queen by her neck, lifting her into the air. Her legs kicked, trying to struggle, but in retaliation, Freyja tightened her grip, making a slight crack, forcing the queen into submission.


    "W-Why!?" The queen tried to ask with gasping breaths.


    "I got bored watching your daughter marry him and kiss him like that. Then you can''t even defeat a mere trash like that fat insect? Why do you think you she is worthy of my perfect creation?"


    Woosh!


    A sudden amber de of light shot from a distance, its speed and force barelypared to something like Freyja''s power. Maybe that''s why she ignored it, looking at the queen''s pupils dting with a wicked smile.


    However...


    The magma de of V tore through her defence and sliced apart the hand that grabbed her mother''s throat. Silver blood began flowing into the air as Freyja remained stunned, looking at her missing fingers.


    "What?"


    "What is this? Why do I bleed in this lower world?"


    V stood in the distance, her hands trembling, the power she flung and the force emitting from her body a clear indicator of her reaching the fifth stage. Yet unstable as her vtile Animus attacked her organs and muscles because of the forced nature of her advancement.


    "Run..... V, Run!.... RUN!"


    "Shut up."


    The next moment, Freyja''s fist mmed into the abdomen of the queen, a strange sounding from her mouth as she copsed without another world. Her eyes faded into darkness.


    "Little girl, you might have married him, but to make my lovely Asura a widower in a few hours, you are quite the stupid bitch, aren''t you?"


    V''s lips oozed blood, her eyes barely able to focus on the agony her magic caused while raging inside her body. Yet the moment Freyja''s eyes fixated on her, that pain vanished, and she became like a bug faced with a giant enemy staring down at them.


    ''I can''t move.... mother..... Asura.... please save me.''


    "Look at you, so pathetic. Even breaking through to a pitiful Stage Six is breaking your body. Did seeing your city burn your mother killed make you rush? An admirable thing, but sadly, you are just trashpared to those above who reach this stage in their early teens."


    With each step Freyja took, holding a silver spear with a ck de etched with several red runes, the pressure doubled, causing V to gasp, her organs to tighten, and her muscles to tear, yet she refused to kneel a second time.


    "Impressive girl, but foolish."


    A single sh with the spear and her thighs exploded, blood and flesh spurting from the thin wound as V copsed to her knees with widened eyes and dted pupils. She couldn''t even scream. The pain caused her to bite her tongue to endure.


    "You see, girl, you might be a genius and talented. I admit you''ve done well with his help. Yet, do you know? He rose to his current power in three months. Just three. Do you think you are on his level?"


    The words sank into V''s soul from the moment she met Asura and began falling for his charm. She realised how special he was, though he seemed small at first. His skill and ability to learn and improve added to his desire to fight, kill, and train.


    Asura was her beloved and her goal as a warrior. He shone so brightly that she felt blinded and thus trained till her hands bled and muscles screamed to keep up with him.


    "I-I... know..."


    ''He is my inspiring light who shines from above.''


    "What''s with your arrogant gaze? Do you want me to pluck them out!?"


    Freyja stood three metres away from V, who pushed herself up with both hands, sweat pouring from her body. The pressure seemed to have stopped her Animus from overloading and going berserk.


    However, the heavy force of her aura started crushing her bones.


    "Do you think I don''t know what you think? Spread your legs for him, and he will care for you. Asura is kind and gentle, but if I kill you here. Do you think he would mourn for long with the surrounding women? With me here?"


    "You are not special, and you dared to attack me. His mother!"


    "Peh! You''re insane, and the lust for your son is disgusting!" V used thest of her power to spit her blood in the face of Freyja and say what she felt from each word. A disgusting lust and greedy desire for her son!


    "ASURA IS NOT YOURS TO LOVE."


    V''s words seemed to have broken something in Freyja, her face distorted, her lips forming a crooked and terrifying smile while her eyes became huge, her golden iris turning ck as she lifted her spear, spinning it twice to build up momentum and a strange red aura.


    "I will never let him marry any of you low-lives. No matter what Asura says or does, you will all die. I will make sure of it."


    A sh of silver appeared, and V''s chest erupted with a small hole as she was sent flying into a building. With a cough, more blood spurted from her mouth, the scent of iron and burning flesh reaching her nose as she turned, her eyes closing slowly.


    "I did.... my best."


    Though the blow failed to kill her because of a ne Asura bought for her, the small pendant filled with a picture of them kissing now melted and destroyed, leaving only a shallow wound on her chest.


    V copsed against the wall, a pool of blood seeping from the floor as she barely maintained consciousness. Yet her heart continued to beat, her eyes opened and shut several times, and her mouth could no longer speak.


    "..."


    Freyja stared at her, lying in the rubble for a while, smiling pleasantly until the queen regained consciousness.


    "Ah! V! NO!"


    "Rx, you mongrel. She isn''t dead yet."


    Her hand twisted the spear of ck and red light before pulling back, preparing to kill V, the woman who stood up to her and tried to steal him from her.


    "me your loose legs for spreading too easily, girl."


    Like before, Freyja built her momentum by twirling the spear several times; this time, there was no saving V—the amulet turned to dust, leaving an exposed chest.


    "Goodbye, insect!"


    Freyja thrust the spear with a low grunt. An ominous sh of red and ck shot towards V, moving too fast to avoid even in her prime state. The killing blow went for the heart, an area weaker than her ne had protected.


    Countless memories and feelings flowed through V''s eyes as she closed them, the spear about to take her life.


    The moment she felt the world might fade... a low, emotionless voice sounded beside her ears as she felt like her body floated in the sea of death.


    "Liberación - Devouring Devil Dragon."