“What!? Those two white-winged ones broke through the defense line and are heading this way!? What are you useless fools doing? Didn’t I tell you to keep it subtle and just guide them secretly!?”

 

“M-My apologies! Lady Thousand-Faced Phantom!”

 

In the deepest core chamber, Miss Cromancia, who was preparing to make a quick getaway, nearly blew her top when she heard the news. She almost lost her composure entirely, infuriated by these idiots.

 

Initially, she thought that just putting up a symbolic resistance and then showing signs of faltering would naturally lure those two white-winged fools, who were charging straight into their base like reckless warriors, into the area where the monsters were imprisoned.

 

But who would have thought that these morons wouldn’t even put on a convincing act and let their intentions be seen through?

 

Though the messenger before her, covered in dust and dirt, was a different one, suggesting the previous one might have already been killed, Miss Thousand-Faced Phantom didn’t care about such minor details. Her main concern was…

 

“After fighting for so long, you should have figured out those two strange white-winged ones’ exact power level by now. In terms of the Hierarchy of the Eternal Thrones, what level are they roughly at?”

 

The kneeling cultist raised his head, cautiously glanced at the woman on the throne, whose expression was fluctuating, deliberated for a moment, and then tentatively said, “I’m afraid… I’m afraid they might be at least on par with the top three…”

 

“Oh? The top three… What!? The top three!?”

 

Initially trying to maintain the composed demeanor of the Eternal Throne’s executive head, Cromancia was taken aback as she realized the severity of the situation. The shock was enough to change her tone entirely.

 

The top three? How could they be in the top three?

 

The top three of the 【Eternal Thrones】 are all known individual transcendent-level powerhouses! Even across the entire Holy Empire, there is no one of that level on the surface.

 

Though no one would believe that the world’s greatest nation has only this much strength, any such individuals would surely be hidden, nameless old monsters.

 

Even among the White-Winged race, the only known transcendent being is the Feathered Emperor.

 

If you don’t account for Cromancia’ unique survival abilities and instead face her head-on, it’s entirely possible she could be taken down in a single strike in a one-on-one battle. And there were two of them.

 

Trying to keep her composure, the Throne Lord attempted to take a sip from the crystal goblet filled with a clear liquid beside her, only to realize that her hand was trembling slightly with fear.

 

The undead can experience emotions and feel fear, although it’s not as apparent as in living beings and gradually diminishes over time. Clearly, Cromancia hadn’t reached that stage yet.

 

Sensing their leader’s unease, the messenger also began to show signs of panic and anxiety.

 

“My Lady, what should we do now? Should we retreat through the secret passage?”

 

“Are you an idiot? Others are chasing so closely, as soon as we withdraw our manpower, won’t they immediately catch up? Do you think you can escape!?”

 

“Smash!”

 

The goblet fell, shattering on the ground along with the unknown liquid it contained.

 

Cromancia stood up from the throne.

 

“Our only option now is to ensure that those creatures clash with those two White-Winged ones! Two transcendent beings… if there isn’t an evenly matched opponent to stop them… Since they refuse to go in… then we’ll lure the monsters out!”

 

The Eternal Throne Lady pointed to the groveling cultist at her feet.

 

“You! Lead all available fighters, and at any cost, you must hold them off temporarily. The enemy must not discover our escape route, understood!?”

 

“M-My Lady? Are you planning to…”

 

“Stop wasting time and relay my orders, now!”

 

“Y-Yes!”

 

…………………………

 

The resistance from the enemies suddenly became extraordinarily intense.

 

Leila, who was constantly observing the battlefield, quickly noticed this change.

 

To be honest, throughout the entire battle, they hadn’t encountered any enemies that could be considered particularly troublesome.

 

In fact, most of them struggled even to withstand a single blow from Leila and her sister. However, Leila always kept in mind the advice from the priestess about “never underestimating any situation.”

 

If the enemies here were truly that simple, Lady Violet wouldn’t have specifically sent them to investigate, nor would she have provided such valuable protective artifacts beforehand. As a Sky Guard, Leila felt it was necessary to remain vigilant against anything that might pose a threat until the battle was completely over.

 

After all, the escape from the slave stronghold before meeting Lady Violet, which resulted in her sister’s tragic death due to inadequate protection… Leila never wanted to witness anything like that again.

 

“Wow! Have these guys gone mad? Even if their previous fear was feigned, this kind of desperate fighting isn’t necessary, is it? What on earth is down here?”

 

With a swing of her staff, meteors appeared beside the girl, crashing into and embedding several grimacing undead cultists into the wall with a thunderous roar, turning them into piles of flesh.

 

Rene, who had just helped her sister, reflexively wiped the nonexistent sweat from her brow, and couldn’t help but continue her role as the commentator.

 

At this point in the battle, it was no longer just fierce. The undead cultists hidden in the underground stronghold were fighting back in a purely suicidal manner, using their lives to buy time.

 

There were no limits. Poison, ambushes, traps—these were merely child’s play. Even various indefinable methods, almost equivalent to despicable tactics for women, had all been used.

 

“Who knows? But the more they react like this, the more it means our actions are making them anxious. These guys… Ha!”

 

Before her words were even finished, Leila spun around and slashed with her spear. The weapon moved like a dragon emerging from the sea, severing more than a dozen tendrils that had silently crept down from the top of the passageway, obscured by invisibility magic. The tendrils, which were dripping with some strange pink liquid, were cut through with precision.

 

Breaking up the enemy’s attempt at another ambush, the white-feathered girl raised her hand again.

 

Her illusionary spear shot out with a whooshing sound, hitting a sneaky summoner—whose entire body was hidden by a black robe and whose race was indiscernible—pinning them forcefully against the wall, leaving them struggling in vain.

 

“Bah! How shameless! This… this… can this even be called a fight? Perverted, disgusting! Despicable and shameless!”

 

At a glance, it was clear that the enemy was using some kind of lustful magic, and Rene, almost caught up in it herself, was flushed with anger and used the harshest words she could muster. Unfortunately, most of the enemies present didn’t understand her Sky language.

 

Just as Rene was momentarily distracted by the unpleasant sight, Leila’s face suddenly changed with urgency.

 

She pushed her sister aside and, turning her spear again, unleashed its sharp energy to cut through a bizarre object that had flown out from an unoccupied passageway behind them.

 

However, the strange object did not lose momentum. The severed parts transformed into separate entities, accelerating like meteors in the air, heading straight for the two girls’ faces.

 

“Sister!?”

 

Caught off guard by the ambush, Rene had no time to cast a higher-level spell. She could only exclaim in surprise while urgently activating her magic shield to protect herself from the unknown, eerie white shadow.

 

However, Leila’s preparation was clearly more thorough.

 

“Heavenly Spear Art, 17th Form: Light Feather!”

 

A blur of white light emanated from Leila, forming four-winged illusions wielding long spears. Instead of charging at the enemy, they swiftly appeared next to the somewhat flustered Rene, mimicking Leila’s movements with their spears to fend off the incoming attack.

 

“Zzzt!”

 

“Splurt~”

 

Two distinct voices rang out almost simultaneously. The enemy creature that Leila had struck instantly shattered into points of light, revealing it to be nothing more than a feint.

 

At the same time, the identical creature in front of Rene—a black and white mask with an extremely sinister smile—directly pierced through the white phantom’s defense and covered the latter’s indistinct face!

 

“Zzzt!!!”

 

The white light surrounding Leila’s summoned energy avatar fluctuated violently. Within a few short seconds, as if out of control, it raised its hand and thrust its spear towards the magic-wielding girl behind it!

 

Fortunately, Leila had anticipated this. With a quick snap of her fingers, she was able to dissipate the energy construct she had created before it was fully corrupted, turning it into nothing more than a fleeting illusion.

 

Another spear thrust shattered the black and white mask, which had been temporarily caught off guard and was now trying to escape in a rather human-like manner.

 

Leila glanced at her sister, who was still recovering from the shock, and listened to the dense footsteps coming from the dark passageway. Her expression gradually turned serious.

 

“What terrifying assimilation ability…”