As Deveralna lifted her arms in the air, the dark clouds above glowed brightly.


    Lightning strikes broke through the air, creating constant tree-like shaped. With the ground being electrically charged due to her constant release of plasma energy, the whole area around Lahro transformed into a stormy environment.


    In the middle of it all, the Apostle Kiel endured constant bombardments from the lightning, having no chance of moving out of the instantaneous brutality of the storm.


    Convulsing wildly, he still kept a grin on his face at all times, causing Deveralna to fall deeper in her rage.


    ''How is he still alive?''


    No one on this continent should be able to endure such a beating and not perish in return. The power of the Remnant of Strength was not to be underestimated for a reason.


    Deveralna was hoping to disintegrate his body with lightning, but her attempts turned out to be unsuccessful.


    Again, and again. She kept trying, unbothered by the consequences of her actions.


    With the clouds spiraling into a vortex above the city, everyone cowered in fear at the prospect of a cyclone forming above them.


    Everything for kilometers around the city was under the shadow of this massive weather formation. Surprisingly, the lightning was in Deveralna''s total control.


    With some stragglers away from her control, the overall destruction was directed at the Apostle.


    Even the highest spot, which was the palace of Lahro, was ignored by the strikes.


    Yet, the lamias still held hope that their Queen would protect them. They noticed that their city had been spared entirely, as not a single house was damaged.


    The only things terrifying them were the loud thunder, and their Queen''s expression.


    Still, this fight was more one-sided than anything else. Kiel only his immortal body and incredible speed to show off, which meant nothing to the lamia Queen.


    After noticing that whatever she planned to hit the Apostle with wouldn''t work, Deveralna released enormous amounts of energy unconsciously.


    Once the plasma covering her tail propagated to the entirety of her body, her eyes glowed with light so intense it spelled disaster for the world.


    The sigil of the Remnant of Strength, a perfect cross, appeared in her pupils, while she stared at the sky.


    Her wings stretched on both sides, while her tail pushed her higher in the air.


    The static air started gradually becoming saturated with an astringent smell.


    Everyone under the dark clouds looked in the air, as a bright light appeared at the center of the cyclone.


    Even though Deveralna''s training helped harness the Remnant''s powers, what she was planning to do was out of her control.


    The cyclone released a gigantic sphere of plasma that dropped toward the ground. Lightning strikes focused on the orbs, empowering it even more each passing seconds.


    Suddenly, Kiel found himself released from the incessant discharges. Laying on his back, his eyes froze on the giant orb.


    The grin on his face vanished at last. Understanding with a glance that this was extremely dangerous, he forced himself to stand up, even though his flesh hadn''t healed completely.


    His legs and arms were charred by the lightning, with some areas showing bones. The same thing was seen on his legs, and even his face.


    He was missing an eye, yet the red hues in it never disappeared. His mouth had been burned so much that the surrounding skin had become brittle.


    But as he stumbled to his feet, everything started to heal back to its original state.


    Flesh covered his bones, skin healed to an unhealthy white, and organs regrew from their destroyed state.


    Then, he suddenly turned around, and began to flew at an incredible speed.


    "No way!"


    Deveralna, having noticed her mistake, focused a few lightning strikes that were powering the sphere on him.


    Turning back to look at the bolts closing on him, he vanished from his spot and reappeared somewhere else, avoiding the lightning.


    Desperate to flee, he avoided every attack, and began to make his way back to Eogis.


    But Deveralna wasn''t going to let him get away. He was the one who tortured her people while she was sheltered in secret.


    He was the man who assaulted her mother. She would never forgive if she let this opportunity slip past her.


    With one hand pointing at the sphere, she used her other hand to aim at the fleeing Apostle.


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    "Cage him!"


    A roaring bolt of lightning flew from her hand, instantly crossing the distance between them.


    The bolt missed Kiel by a thread, before continuing on its path.


    Thinking that he was saved, the corrupted Apostle glanced behind him with a grin. But, the moment he looked forward, he found himself in front of a massive web of plasma.


    As he tried to vanish from his spot, the web wrapped itself around him, caging him into a box made of plasma.


    While he tried to flee, his shoulder touched one of the edges of the box, instantly frying him on the spot.


    "Maggot! You won''t be able to flee now!"


    Enraged by his attempt to escape, she focused on the plasma sphere, which gradually came closer to the ground.


    Terrified, Kiel twitched inside the cage, as his eyes switched between the sphere, and the land he came from.


    "Even you can feel fear... If only you had shown even a sliver of respect to our faction!"


    "We would be here right now!"


    Deveralna slapped her hands together, crushing the giant sphere in the process.


    A loud cracking sound echoed, before a deafening beat shook the world.


    From the center of the sphere, where the entirety of its energy was focused, a reality-shattering power emerged.


    The lamias opened their eyes wide while plugging their ears, as a titanic plasma snake broke through the barriers of reality, and bared its fangs at Kiel.


    "Deveralna! What are you doing?!"


    Suddenly, she was brought to reality by a voice.


    "Huh? Orion? Where-"


    "What are you doing?! Are you trying to erase Lahro from the maps?"


    Panicked, Orion spoke through the portal he had placed on her, and hurriedly tried to make her stop.


    "N-No! That wasn''t my-"


    "Stop this thing! Immediately!"


    Without leaving her a moment to answer him, she was forced to realize the intensity of her blunder.


    As she looked in the air, the giant snake sprung back, ready to pounce at the caged Apostle reeling in terror inside.


    With no other choices left, he began to attempt to force his way out of the cage, risking grave injuries in the process.


    "S-Stop! Don''t do it!"


    Trying to nullify the magic behind the apparition, what she failed to understand was that this creature... was alive.


    It wasn''t simply magic anymore. This snake was an entity from a different place, a different realm.


    By bringing it here, she had no control over it besides the initial order she gave it.


    Destroying Kiel.


    And, it did just that. The snake lunged at Kiel, and crashed directly on him.


    "I can''t control it! Help me-"


    A bright light blinded the whole place. The crash was violent enough to shake the earth itself, damaging some buildings inside Lahro, while destroying parts of the walls surrounding it.


    The field of intense plasma devoured Kiel, as his shriek of agony drowned into the eerie buzzing hum of the plasma.


    "Protect Lahro!"


    Orion''s voice broke through once again, as the field instantly expanded across the land. In complete disarray, Deveralna mustered every ounce of energy left in her to protect her screaming citizens.


    "DAMN IT!"


    A large shield of plasma composed of as many layers as she could muster the strength to create formed around her and Lahro.


    "Ack!"


    She coughed blood as the field of intense plasma made contact with her barrier.


    *Crack*


    The first barrier shattered in record time. Then, the second one.


    Expending an absurd amount of energy to maintain the shield, Deveralna reflected on her mistake.


    ''I''ve lost control... This is the result of my furry.''


    ''Is he... disappointed in me?''


    Thinking of Orion watching over her, lost in her wrath, made her tear up. As her tears mixed with the blood flowing from the corner of her mouth, the fifth barrier shattered, leaving only eight left.


    She was giving her whole to protecting what she forgot to, and was losing hope of making it out alive.


    "Don''t- up-"


    Through the static, she heard Orion. Even though his voice was blocked by the intense energy around her, she still heard his voice.


    "Give- Dever-"


    ''Don''t give up, Deveralna!''


    Deveralna gritted her teeth, and glared at the barriers surrounding the city. The ninth barrier shattered in front of her, leaving only four left.


    The energy came closer and closer to her, until the very last barrier was left.


    She could feel the overwhelming power she herself had created. This disaster caused her to realize the responsibilities linked to such an ability.


    Velridar remained hidden because his power was too threatening. Because he couldn''t bear the guilt of destroying the world.


    Only now did she understand the errors of her way.


    The last and final barrier cracked, as she braced for the end.


    *Crack*


    With the last barrier shattering, it was the end.


    But was Deveralna ready to concede defeat? After going this far?


    "Not... yet!"


    Her wings opened wide, as plasma covered them to the point of breaking apart.


    A thin layer of magic enveloped the city, as Deveralna endured the full brunt of her own magic.


    The citizens of Lahro observed their Queen stand in front of them, putting her very life in danger for them.


    "Kh!"


    The energy burned her body, but she held strong.


    "Even... if..."


    "I have to... die!"


    She straightened her body, and stared in front of her with the sparks of life in her eyes.


    "I''ll protect you all!"


    The lamias were brought to tears, even after knowing this event was caused by her. Even though it was her mistake to correct, they routed for her.


    She was, and would be until the end of time, their leader.


    But as the lamias lamented their lack of power to help their Queen, something stirred from the bond they had with her.


    Eyes focused on the shield, before they all stared at each other.


    With a nod, and no further words, they all jumped down the walls, and joined Deveralna.


    "Your Highness!"


    Hundreds of lamias stood behind her, arms pointing at a part of the protective layer.


    "What are you... all doing?! Get back!"


    Glancing at them over her shoulder, she pressed them to move further away.


    "If you fail, we will die anyway! There''s no time for that anymore!"


    They all focused on that tiny spark inside their soul, when suddenly, they all received the blessing of magic.


    Earth, lightning, water, fire, and wind. Hundreds of lamias fired their magic at the protection, strengthening it with their feeble energy.


    While weak, every lamia participated in defending their Queen. Their weak magic, turned great as hundreds of them focused.


    An unforgettable event where the Queen and her subjects acted as a single mind occurred, strengthening their bonds into unbreakable ones.


    Deveralna clenched her teeth, as tears flowed down her face, evaporating as they touched the surrounding plasma.


    "Thank you, everyone."


    Prepared for the end, everyone smiled at her.


    Then, as their resolve was made, the plasma field began breaking up. In a split instant, the whole matter disappeared, leaving a bright blue sky behind it.


    "..."


    Deveralna dropped her arms, mystified.


    "We''re..."


    Cheers exploded behind her, as they realized they had survived the ordeal.


    With a faint chuckle, Deveralna fell backward.


    ''Not... yet...''


    ''I can''t fall unconscious... now!''


    She forced her mind to stay focused, and observed a spot hundred of meters away. There, she noticed a skeleton still electrified in the middle of a calcinated circle.


    Then, the bone shattered, before turning into black particles.


    Without any warning, Deveralna fell backward and dropped on the ground.


    "Your Highness!"


    Afraid for her wellbeing, the lamias hurriedly brought her inside the city, back to her palace.


    ...


    In Horizon, Orion breathed a sigh of relief.


    Until a rift opened in his plane.


    "At last..."


    He stared at the broken portal far south of the realm, past the training grounds.


    "Let''s do this, Miasma."


    Miasma began his invasion of Horizon, followed by his army.