Zagran's mere impact with the ground generated a shockwave that sent the Eldritches flying away with only one exception.

The Shadow Dragon plunged her talons in the ground, draining the world energy and digging meters-deep trenches as she slid back. As for Tezka, between the Blade Spell, Chaos Dimension, and keeping the dimensional links with his allies at the ready, he had reached his limit.

He failed to react in time but managed to recover with a somersault, landing on his feet and with Endless Night ready to block anything.

The Garuda immediately sent bolts of silver lightning to her fallen comrades, making up for the powers they had lost after being hit by Orulm's Break. Then she pulled out her Guardian tier weapon, Rending Talons.

A pair of silvery-black combat gloves covered her hands. Her fingers now ended in long claws and retractile blades rested on the back of Rending Talons, crackling with energy.

"If you want to fight, let's fight." A silvery pillar burst out of her body as a bolt of Life Maelstrom connected her with the rumbling sky. "I won't let you take these idiots, no matter if they deserve it."

"We don't need your permission!" Zoreth charged forward while extending the claws of her new and improved Yggdrasill Sky Piercer.

"Plan E, now!" Vastor yelled as everyone assumed their battle position.

"You stupid brat!" Zagran grunted. "I am-"

Zoreth's claws moved faster than the Garuda expected and her punch hit with more strength than any non-Guardian could produce. It was just a fist, but its destructive power was on par with an Annihilation.

"You are finished!" Zoreth had forcefully merged her troll and black core, forming a perfect mana core.

Decay and Chaos perfectly balanced instead of canceling each other and generated a power that outclassed even Tezka's.

"Not bad." Yet aside from the first strike, Zagran effortlessly blocked everything else. The Shadow Dragon was powerful for a non-Guardian, but the Garuda sparred with Salaark on a regular basis. Zagran studied magic and martial arts every day since she had become a Guardian untold millennia ago.

Zoreth had recently switched from a blade to combat gloves whereas Zagran used them from the day she had gained hands as an Emperor Beast. The gap in power, experience, and technique was too wide to overcome with just the advantage of surprise.

A small, tiny dimensional opening appeared from Zoreth's opposite side and released Orulm's strongest attack, Break Annihilation.

"Only an idiot would fall for this twice and this is the third time already!" Zagran conjured a dimensional opening that swallowed the Annihilation and shot it outside the range Orulm could still control it with willpower.

"If you can't stop an attack, there's no point trying. You move it where it can do no harm." She explained while blocking Zoreth's chain of fists and spells with one hand while the other pummelled the Shadow Dragon into a pulp.

If not for her unique power she would have died after the first strike and to make matters worse, her enhanced state would last for less than one more second. Once it ended, so would her life.

Theseus went to the rescue and was dealt with by a single palm strike that bypassed his defenses and struck his abdomen. He was still wreathed in Origin Flames and infused with Mana Body, but it was useless.

Zagran's hit was like a caress, dealing no damage on the outside because its full strength was released as a shockwave that spread from inside the Bastet's body. Theseus crumbled apart like a sand castle, leaving his equipment unscathed.

Even his feet were ground to dust. If not for the Skull of Bytra allowing him to read and counter the shockwave's exact wavelength with Mana Body and Life Maelstrom, he would have died just from that.

"That was close. Damn close!" He shook his head in shock but resumed the attack without pausing.

"Fine, die!" A palm strike hit Zoreth and another the Bastet, the mere movement producing a sonic boom and displacing air for kilometers.

Yet the palm strikes hit only air.

"Wait, what?" Only then did Zagran notice there was no one around aside from her and the two fallen Guardians.

Even Auros the Bringer of Unity had left for long enough to leave no trace of his passage. "Plan E stands for egress." The Master had Spirit Warped everyone to safety, knowing he was the only one who couldn't be restrained with an air-sealing array. "The moment the Leviathan appeared, I knew you would too.

"I don't fight losing battles. I prefer a dishonorable escape to an honorable death since my power, unlike yours, can still grow. We'll meet again on my terms. Milady" The Master was the last one leaving, tipping his helm to the standing Garuda.

"Why are you standing there like an idiot?" Roghar coughed out enough blood to form a pond. "You could have killed him! You could have ended this here and now!"

"Really? With whose help?" A flick of her finger on the Fenrir's forehead made him almost faint from the concussion. "You two are wrecks. Life Maelstrom is great but it does no miracles. I didn't come here to kill the Eldritches but to rescue you morons."

"She's right." Fenagar writhed in pain, consuming the silver lightning and what was left of his mana to heal his maimed life force. "We had no chance the moment I fell into their trap. We are still alive because Zagran covered for us.

"Had she left our side, the Eldritches would have collected us like insects and she would have fallen in whatever ambush they had prepared for her. The Suneater was in perfect condition and I doubt the Master used so few spells during the fight for no reason.

"He was saving his strength for this precise moment. Zagran is strong but you've seen what those hybrids can do when two of them work together, Roghar. Imagine fighting six of them at a time. Or worse, all of them!"

"Why waste Life Maelstrom on us, then?" Roghar coughed more and followed Fenagar's example, focusing on healing his wounds.

"To give us a chance to fight back, you moron!" The Leviathan snarled. "Zagran can't be in three places at the same time. She gave us the means to protect ourselves in case the Eldritches somehow drove her away from us."

"I see. The wounds to Roghar's body were nothing compared to those to his pride. "Thanks, Fenagar. Thanks, Zagran. If not for you, Jiera would have only two Guardians

now."

"Save your thanks for later." The Garuda growled. "I saw how easily you disposed of Auros. Why didn't you do that sooner?"

"Two reasons. First, I was still recovering from the wounds the Guardians of Garlen inflicted upon me and second, I want the people of Jiera to fix their mess. The lost cities are a plague, but they are also the reason the four races go along for the first time in

Jiera's history.

"Leaving the lost cities free slows down the rebuilding of society, but slow is not necessarily bad just like fast isn't necessarily good. I'm giving our people the time to build strong foundations that will resist the erosion of peace.