While the battle raged inside the Tower of Doom, the Weapons of God focused entirely on the unfolding conversation, shocked by the gravity of what they had just discovered. "So that human is a spy for the Grand Chaos?" Rei remarked. Pyun slammed her hand down in anger, fixing her gaze on Aoi and demanding an explanation. They all knew Sei held a keen interest in Nathaniel, meaning if he truly were a spy, Sei must have known about it as well. Aoi and Agane stood in silence, acutely aware of the severe repercussions Sei would face once the truth about Ataparag came to light. They had never anticipated that Ruri would sniff out Ataparag's lingering presence clinging to Nathaniel's body. Worry etched across their faces at the thought of Nathaniel exposing Ataparag, knowing it would shatter their secrets and trigger a catastrophic chain of events. "As we stated, that human is under our direct supervision. We've been monitoring his movements because of his special nature, though we ar

The living corpses began to surge forward, launching a brutal assault on the applicants and monsters trapped inside the Tower of Doom. "Damn it! Everyone, get to the twelfth floor! I'm opening a portal out of this tower right now!" Realizing the perilous disadvantage they were in, Ruri used the communication earpiece to order all her subordinates and remaining applicants to converge on the evacuation floor where she would open an exit. Through the open channel, the desperate cries and pleas for help echoed straight into her ears. "Lady Ruri, we can't break through! Our floor is completely surrounded by the undead, we need help!" "Damn it, I can't just abandon them here." Because Serenity's undead army consisted of former warriors, they effortlessly matched and overwhelmed many of the combatants. "Lady Ruri, you should open the portal and leave. I'll stay behind and hold her off while you all escape!" XXv urged. A cloud of red smoke flared as XXv unleashed his crimson flames,

Following the explosion, Ruri's attack left a crater nearly one hundred meters wide and fifty feet deep. "I can already feel my body growing weak; this needs to end now," Ruri whispered. She let go of her exhaustion, taking a deep breath and steadying herself to ease the tension in her body. "Her presence is scattered everywhere because of the territory she set up, and even the living corpses carry her signature. It's going to be difficult to pinpoint her actual location." The area fell silent for a brief moment, giving Ruri a momentary sense of relief, but the exact second she rose to her feet, Serenity materialized directly behind her. "Well fought, little one." Ruri froze upon feeling the sudden presence at her back, acutely aware that Serenity was right there and poised to strike. Impossible! How did she get behind me without me noticing? Ruri managed to jump backward in an attempt to distance herself, but Serenity lunged forward and snatched her by the leg. "W

XXv forced his body to move, turning his head toward her, but before he could even face Serenity, a brutal kick slammed into his ribs, sending him tumbling violently across the floor. He rolled until he slammed hard into a stack of stone rubble right next to Ruri's unconscious body. Coughing up a mouthful of blood, the young warrior clutched his aching side as waves of searing pain wracked his frame. While XXv writhed in agony, Serenity calmly retrieved a sword from one of the fallen living corpses nearby and began to walk slowly toward him. "I humored your little display and let you show me what you could do, so I suppose it's time we finish our game." XXv's body trembled violently. No matter how desperately he tried to push himself up, his legs refused to obey. "No... I can't die here." Through blurred vision, he spotted a few living corpses closing in on Ruri. Without a second thought, he began dragging himself across the stone toward her, every inch of movement a whit

Thinking she had successfully sealed Harbelio away within the dimension, Ataparag assumed the battle was finally over. The surrounding area fell into a temporary silence as the mud spikes gradually sank back into the earth and the ground returned to its normal state. Ataparag dropped heavily to her knees, breathing heavily as the sheer energy consumption of the technique caught up to her. "I expected that technique to drain a lot of energy, but I didn't think it would completely empty my reserves." Slowly, Ataparag began to feel the stabbing aches of her injuries, yet she forced herself to stand up so she could push away from the area. "I can't afford to rest until I manage to rescue the captives." Despite the sharp agony of fractured bones throughout her body, she forced herself to walk back toward the town to find and free the prisoners. She knew all too well that her greatest disadvantage was inhabiting a human body, which prevented her from accessing her full spectrum of co