"This power... what is it?" Ethan's senses went on high alert. He narrowed his eyes, staring coldly in the direction the energy was coming from. He'd felt it—this power didn't belong to the Feywild. No, it had that distinct aura from the Sky Citadel. He hadn't expected to sense it again, especially not here. "Let's check it out." The rightful source is novel✶fire.net Without a second of hesitation, Ethan bolted toward the source. His troops—soldiers from the Emerald Castle and the elite Hero Units—immediately followed, charging after him without question. It didn't take long before they reached a massive plaza at the heart of the Glimmering Court. And there, standing dead center, was a woman—tall, stunning, and dangerously seductive. But it wasn't just her looks that stood out. Her entire body radiated raw, overwhelming power. It swirled around her like a dark vortex, pulsing with intensity. Right now, she stood with a cold, emotionless expression, gripping a staff embedded in the center of the plaza. But no matter how hard she pulled, it wouldn't budge. "You again?" one of the nearby fairies sighed. "I told you already—this staff only responds to a specific kind of energy. Yours is the exact opposite. You'll never pull it out. Just give it up." "And if you keep forcing it…" "…something bad might happen!" A few fairies tried to reason with her, but she didn't even acknowledge them. She just kept pouring more and more of her power into the staff, determined to rip it free. "Ugh…" The fairies exchanged helpless glances and sighed again. Eventually, they just gave up and let her be, watching her struggle in silence. "What the hell…" Ethan muttered, stunned by what he was seeing. He never would've guessed the fairies could be this tolerant—this forgiving. Because it was obvious. That woman wasn't from the Feywild. She was a Skyfiend, no doubt about it. The energy rolling off her was thick with the Sky Citadel's signature power. Even if the fairies didn't know what the Sky Citadel was, they had to recognize a Skyfiend when they saw one… right? And yet, here they were—just letting her do her thing. It shook Ethan's worldview a little. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. But what really made his blood run cold was the other energy he sensed on her—Feywild magic. A lot of it. Which meant… she'd probably consumed the power of multiple fairies. Hell, maybe even the Fey Sovereign herself. The thought made Ethan narrow his eyes. He stepped forward, slowly, cautiously. As he approached, the woman's expression darkened. Her body tensed, and her energy flared out like a shockwave. "Who the hell are you? Back off unless you've got a death wish!" Ethan's face hardened. His voice was cold as ice. "A death wish? You talking to me? You might want to worry about yourself first. If I'm not mistaken… you've killed a lot of fairies. Or maybe just devoured their Primordial Force?" At that, the Skyfiend woman narrowed her eyes, her gaze sharpening into a deadly glare. Murder radiated off her in waves as she locked eyes with Ethan… All the fairies in the plaza froze, stunned by what they'd just heard. "And another thing," Ethan continued, his expression calm but his voice cutting like ice. "There's a powerful surge of Fairy energy coming off you… I'm guessing that's from the Fey Sovereign, isn't it?" The moment the words left his mouth, a shockwave of tension rippled through the crowd. The fairies were visibly shaken—faces pale, eyes wide. They'd been searching for the Sovereign's killer for what felt like forever… and now, she was right here? Right in front of them? One after another, powerful Fairy auras descended onto the plaza. High-ranking Fairy warriors appeared in flashes of light, their energy flaring as they locked onto the woman. Their expressions twisted with fury. "It's her! That energy—there's no doubt! She's carrying the essence of our Sovereign! She's the one who did it! Don't let her escape!" The moment the accusation rang out, the fairies erupted in rage. They surged forward, surrounding the woman in a tight circle, cutting off every escape route. But then—she laughed. A wild, unhinged laugh that echoed through the plaza. Her power exploded outward in a violent burst, dark and overwhelming. And in that instant, the energy of the Fey Sovereign surged from within her, unmistakable and terrifying. "You pathetic little fairies," she sneered, her voice dripping with contempt. "All this time, and you're only just now figuring it out? That I'm the one who killed your precious Sovereign? How adorable." She threw her head back and laughed again, louder this time, manic. "Well, since the game's up… I guess I'll stop pretending." "From this moment on, I declare—this Fey Kingdom, and the entire Feywild, belongs to me! You weak, pitiful insects—kneel!" Her power surged again, rising to a terrifying peak. She'd hit 16-Tier, SSS-rank. While that level wasn't quite on par with Ethan or Ataneya's current strength, here in the Feywild—especially in the heart of the Glimmering Court—there might not be anyone else who could take her on. She now wielded the power of the Fey Sovereign. In this plane, that kind of power wasn't just strong—it was dominant. It could suppress Fairy magic entirely. Maybe even tap into the Feywild itself. Ethan's brow furrowed. A 16-Tier SSS? That alone didn't worry him. But a 16-Tier SSS who could channel the power of an entire world? That could be a problem. A blur of motion. Feylora shot forward, charging straight at the woman. "You've gone too far, Skyfiend!" she shouted, fury blazing in her eyes. "Feylora—?" Ethan blinked, caught off guard. "My Lord," she said, glancing back at him with a conflicted expression. "Forgive me for acting on my own. But I have to do this. I remember now… I was born here. When I was little, the Fey Sovereign saved me. She protected me…" Ethan's eyes widened. He hadn't expected that. But then he nodded. "Alright. If that's how it is, then we go together. Just remember, Feylora—you're my soldier. And I've got your back." "She's just a Skyfiend. We'll kill her." "My Lord!" Feylora's voice trembled with emotion. "Thank you!" Ethan gave her a small smile, then turned to the fairies. "Can any of you extract the Fey Sovereign's power from her?" he asked. He could see it clearly—he was a 16-Tier SSS himself, after all. That woman had forcibly absorbed the Sovereign's essence. That's the only reason she'd reached this level. But that kind of power? It was unstable as hell. If they could just pull the Sovereign's energy out of her— But the fairies exchanged uneasy glances, then shook their heads. "We're sorry, honored guest," one of them said, voice heavy with regret. "We… don't know how." "You can't?" Ethan frowned. That complicated things. If they couldn't extract it— Then they'd have to beat it out of her the hard way.