Clank—shatter—

The thin metal plate that barely covered the vital areas of the girl began to expand, enveloping her entire body. Fine needles emerged from the armor, burrowing into her skin.

Clank—whoooosh—

[Rapid Self-Recovery System]
[Current body damage rate: 32.68%. Primary recovery completed. 16 hours, 43 minutes, and 14 seconds until secondary recovery completion.]
[Remaining power: 13.2%]
[Rapid Self-Recovery System paused. Switching to combat mode.]

Fwoosh—

The girl realized she had no problem moving her limbs.

“The barrier is coming down!”
“Hang in there!!”
“Gather your strength!”

Whoooosh—

Soon, the crimson armor enveloped her head as well. The gem embedded in her sternum and her eyes emitted a red glow.

[Switching to Body Enhancement Mode]
[Strength Enhancement - MAX]
[Agility Enhancement - MAX]
[Reaction Speed Enhancement - MAX]
[Sense Enhancement - MAX]
[Durability Enhancement - MAX]
…

Text like the above lined her retinas endlessly.

The girl stopped staring at the text. Even without reading it, she could feel the immense power coursing through her entire body.

Clang—

Finally, the cracks in the barrier spread across the whole structure, shattering it. The knights and mages wore proud expressions.

In contrast, the girl felt a dark, sticky, black star named vengeance, buried deep in her heart, igniting with fire.

“Enough!!”
“Did you see that? There’s something about her!! Capture her!”
“The barrier’s durability isn’t normal.”
“She’ll be a much more interesting subject than that ‘monster’! Haha.”

However, the crimson girl they were watching vanished in an instant.

“!!”
“!!”
“What?!”

Even the Imperial knights, boasting superhuman reflexes, failed to detect her presence.

The girl approached the mage who had made the disparaging remark. With her absurd speed, aided by the support of the enhanced suit, she adapted instantly.

As a result, no one standing here saw her movements, not even now as she reached her target.

She stood next to the mage, clenching and unclenching her fists.

Such immense power.

The girl lightly swung her arm.

BAM BAM BAM!!

With a tremendous rush of wind, the area she swung through was swept away. Following the trajectory, buildings crumbled as if struck by a fierce storm, and the ground bore deep scars, as if a colossal beast had clawed through it.

“GRAAAAH!”
“There she is!”
“When, when did she get there?”
“Crazy! What was that just now?”
“Oh my god.”

The girl stared at her own arm, astonished. She had merely sliced her hand sharply toward the mage's neck.

“Ah, demon!”
“It must be a demon!!”
“What, what is going on?!”
“No way…”
“Crazy! Everyone, get ready! This girl is anything but ordinary!”
“The Red Demon…”

Fear and shock washed over their faces. At the mention of “Red Demon,” a mysterious expression crossed Birdel's face.

Sadness? Pain? Despair?

The horrific memories she had endured began to churn in her heart. Yet, from deep within her chest, she felt a bubbling sense of joy.

Once again, they gazed at her as if she were a demon, or a monster, yet their reactions were entirely different—fear and despair instead of disdain and anger.

“Hahaha.”

She shook her head slightly. Casting off her previous thoughts, a firm determination rose in her eyes.

“I will become the worst demon you desire.”

The next target for the girl Birdel was the Imperial knight named Clay. In the blink of an eye, she moved and grasped Clay's neck, lifting him up.

“Gah!”

Not his rank as a captain, nor his lofty achievements, nor his profound aura could stop her.

As she held Clay by the neck, she looked down at him. The knight captain, who had been stabbed through the torso, was barely managing to breathe. But this would be the end for him.

“Do you have any last words?”
“Cough!”

The captain’s eyes had lost their luster, appearing vacant as if he could no longer see. Summoning his final strength, he managed to speak.

“I’m sorry….”
“….”
“Please, the Empire…”

He couldn't finish his last words. The girl couldn’t discern what the captain wished to say.

Or perhaps she pretended not to know, even if she understood.

The girl closed the captain's eyes. Though he had been the one to push her into the depths of hell, he was undoubtedly someone who had tried to protect her people.

Standing up, the girl tightened her grip on Clay’s neck. At that moment, Clay shrieked in a voice laced with desperation.

“GAAH! You crazy bitch! Do you think you’ll get away with this?!”

Is this bravado? Or mere desperation? How could he utter such words in this situation?

“Cough! There are still surviving tribesmen.”

The girl’s heart sank at Clay's ominous words.

“...Tribesmen?”
“Hehe. There are likely still survivors among the tribes. If you act like this… you won’t end up in a good place. Hehehe.”
“….”

Hope flickered on Clay's face. This girl had previously risked hell itself to save the tribesmen. She couldn’t ignore the hostages.

“If you beg for forgiveness now, I might consider it. Hehe. If you cooperate, I’ll guarantee the survival of the remaining tribesmen.”
“….”
“I’ll make sure you’re treated well too. The Mage Tower won’t be able to interfere recklessly.”

Clay was certain he could manipulate her as long as hostages were involved. He could see the girl trembling with a mix of fear and uncertainty.

“Hehe. So think carefully…? GAAAH!”

In an instant, Birdel grasped Clay's right arm and ripped it off. Blood erupted as his agony turned his eyes white.

“GAAAH! AAAAAH! How dare you! How dare you!!”

With the sudden shock of losing his arm, Clay thrashed about.

“Do you think I’m a fool?”

Her gaze sparkled with fierce determination. There was no hesitation in her eyes.

Indeed, perhaps there were still survivors. And if she acted now, they might be harmed.

But she no longer wished to be swayed by such vague possibilities. She had sacrificed for them for over ten years. Now, she wouldn’t bind herself with more sacrifices.

No, instead, if they touched her people, they would have to face her wrath directly.

Birdel pressed her fingers against Clay's left eye.

“I’ll leave you one eye. You can watch how the Empire changes.”
“GAAAH!”

As Birdel’s ruthless actions sent shockwaves through the watching mages and knights, they trembled like aspen trees in fear. Yet they were trained warriors. Soon, they steadied their hearts and moved to attack.

“We can’t stand by any longer!! Attack!”
“Mages, use all your power! Don’t hold back just because we’re inside the capital!”

They had not merely been spectators. The mages had already begun their incantations.

BOOM—
BANG—
CRACK—

As if they had been waiting for this moment, a barrage of magic crashed down where she stood. Buildings crumbled around them, and a massive crater formed from the intensity of their assault.

Such a strike would be impossible to survive, even for a god!

In the aftermath, the knights leaped into the fray through the swirling dust. They needed to finish her.

Yet…

“We can’t see the body!”
“Could she have escaped?!”
“Search the area thoroughly! She can’t have gone far!”
“Don’t let your guard down! This isn’t ordinary behavior! Knights, concentrate your auras!”

Just a short distance from where they stood.

The girl, having thrown aside the unconscious Clay, was bending her legs, preparing her stance.

“Whew…”

For some reason, it feels like I can do this.

The breath and posture that a kind martial artist had once taught her in the community. Of course, the martial artist could never have imagined she would replicate it.

Birdel closed her eyes and gathered strength from her toes firmly planted on the ground, twisting her fist as she launched it forward.

Heaven-Collapsing Fist.

The air screamed as it tore apart. Her fist, moving at an ideal rotational angle, created a momentary vacuum, producing a wave that carved through the gathered air in front of her.

BOOM—

The knights who had held the syringe to her mother, the knights who had attacked her, and the mages from the Mage Tower were swept away in one strike.

The ground bore deep scars, resembling the aftermath of a colossal serpent passing through, creating a gaping trench akin to a grand canal.

Her strike shattered the northwestern part of the plaza, annihilating everything in its path.

Truly, a blow that could collapse the heavens.

“…”

The girl was left speechless at the results of her actions.

She had merely thought it might be possible.

Feeling a shiver run through her body, she experienced a sense of omnipotence, as if she had turned imagination into reality.

The ground beneath her began to crack like spider webs. The immense power pulsing through the suit was undeniable. The residual force alone was enough to split the earth and create violent gusts of wind.

This extraordinary feat could hardly be believed to have been accomplished by a girl whose body was still healing and who had been nothing more than an ordinary human.

The girl was unable to hide her astonishment at the miraculous suit that had granted her such power. Who could this administrator be that sent her such a tool? Could they truly be human? Were they perhaps a god?

As she envisioned the unseen administrator, she felt a tremor run through her body.

The “Paddak” that the administrator had mentioned... perhaps it was something she could aspire to become.