~ZZZTTZZ~

Overwhelming power began to swell from Ater, causing the entire world of FairyLand to quake.

Like a burst containing millions of volts of electricity, dark lightning raged around him. The blackness around him solidified, becoming his flesh, and eventually turning into a dark cloak that shrouded his body.

It made him resemble the classical image of death.

His crimson hair became fiery, and his eyes turned deep purple, with the whites of his eyes becoming black. Two horns grew from his forehead, gleaming black but also warbling with purple energy.

"A-A Dragon? No… not that!" The horns she was witnessing did not at all resemble that of Dragons.

These were too tall and majestic, and they had an intricate design about them.

'Who is this person?!' Fae's whole body—that is, FairyLand itself—trembled as she tried her best to comprehend the new entity that stood before her.

Wings appeared behind Ater, like that of a Demon, and a tail resembling that of a black cat. As for his ebony skin, it turned pale ash; almost as if he was a corpse. Dark lines stretched from his eyes, like cracks on his face, and a particular gem seemed to glow at the center of his forehead.

There was no race on H'Trae that had such a resemblance!

"This seems close enough…" He finally spoke, observing his current appearance with a light smirk on his calm face.

His sights soon returned to Fae, who was now considering her next move as she just witnessed the impossible with her own eyes. 'He's supposed to be dead, so why is he still alive?!'

Not that, but even after he re-awakened, she had tried to suppress his growing power with her authority within FairyLand and her other Skill [FairyTale], but none of those Skills worked on him.

In fact, it seemed like none of her Skills were working on him.

'He didn't mean what he said back then, did he? He has a Primeval Skill?' Beads of sweat formed on Fae's face as she locked eyes with him. 'T-that's not possible!'

After swallowing hard and getting her wits about her, Fae shrugged aside all of her fears and stuck to her resolve. The chilly sensations and absurd power only made her more determined to eliminate him once and for all.

Besides, she had one more Skill in her arsenal, one she had never gotten to use before.

"Whatever you are, I will—!"

"You mentioned Rey Skylar just now, Fae." Ater, or whatever it was that he had become, suddenly spoke up.

His voice instantly silenced hers, despite her being far bigger than him in every way.

"W-what about it?" She responded defiantly. "Interested in him too?"

"Yes. He's… someone I know."

"And you really think I'll believe that? You're trying to stall for time, aren't you? You're trying to bluff, so I'll spare your life."

"...."

"Well, that won't work on me!" As soon as she said this, Fae raised her second hand—one that seemed like a massive meteor that suddenly manifested in the sky.

It cast a dark shadow on the world below—the world Ater currently occupied.

~ZZZTTTTZZZZ!!!~

A massive bolt of energy suddenly formed in her hand, and she held onto it tight like a lightning bolt—ready to fire it in his direction.

"It's no use." Ater sighed. "Let's continue our conversation."

However, Fae was done trying to talk with the man before her. Every cell in her body told her that this wicked thing had to be eliminated… and as quickly as possible!

~WHOOOSH!~

She threw the massive bolt of lightning towards Ater, who was now floating in the void. Behind him was the wall of mist and dust, so there was nowhere for him to escape to.

Even if she couldn't directly manipulate Ater anymore, Fae could still control everything else about this world. That meant her powerful burst of energy would turn him to dust.

It didn't matter what defenses he rendered.

The bolt tore through the distance within an instant, already about to strike the target.

"It's over—!"

"Melt." As soon as Ater whispered this, all the clustered energy within the bolt suddenly dissolved, turning into liquid-like particles that evaporated within the blink of an eye.

"E-eh…?" Fae's eyes widened as she witnessed this.

"Your Skills won't work on me anymore. It doesn't matter what you do, or what tricks you resort to…" He interrupted her display of disbelief with a calm assessment. That wasn't all he said, though.

"I'm currently stronger than you are."

The moment Fae heard this, she lost it. Her eyes turned bloodshot, and her entire body shook in utter rage.

"YOU?" She growled. "Stronger than me?!"

This was the same guy who was struggling so desperately against her some seconds ago. Even if he was trying to stall for time, proclaiming himself as superior was too far.

That single declaration was enough to push Fae over the edge—enough to use her last Skill.

"[Breaking Point]!"

~BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!~

That very instant, Fae's body grew to be twice its previous size, and all of her Stats got instant promotion. They nearly doubled in figures, and she became inconceivably more powerful than she had ever been before.

"You fool!" She cackled, drunk on her own power. "You still think you're stronger than me?"

"Yep!"

In an instant, Ater vanished from his position and appeared right in front of Fae's forehead.

"What are you doi—"

~BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!~

With a single thrust of his fist, he sent deafening shockwaves throughout the domain of mist, forcing Fae's body to tumble backwards and crash on the wall of mist.

"Gah!" Her lips burst out as she felt the stinging pain on her head—something that wasn't supposed to be possible.

Her entire body became paralyzed that instant, and she was forced to her knees as she watched Ater float right above her with a condescending gaze. His wings spread out, while his face remained stoic as the darkness around him intensified.

"Currently, I'm stronger than you could ever hope to be." Once he stated this as fact, he landed right on Fae's face and stepped on her head with his heels.

She could do nothing but tremble and watch.

"Now… you're going tell me everything that I want to know."

*