"Holy Light, descend!" Andona burst into radiant brilliance, her entire body glowing with divine energy that lit up the battlefield like a second sun. The sheer force of it was overwhelming—within seconds, the light sliced through the air and decapitated over a dozen enemies in a single sweep. "What the hell?! The Angel Queen?!" "She’s insanely powerful!" Panic rippled through the ranks of Skygate Castle. Sure, their defenses weren’t the strongest, but they weren’t nothing either. Especially the aerial barrier—it was supposed to withstand even Tier 16 S-class threats. But Andona had just... ignored it. She’d dropped straight through like it wasn’t even there—and then proceeded to massacre their troops without breaking a sweat. "Who the hell is this woman?! How did she break through our aerial defenses?!" Andona didn’t even bother to answer. Her eyes were full of disdain. Those so-called barriers? Child’s play. Her divine energy was practically tailor-made to tear through them. With a single swing of her holy sword, she could shatter them like glass. Even the mechanoid froze for a second, clearly caught off guard. Then it shot into the air, hovering mid-sky as strange, pulsing waves of energy began to ripple from its body. Andona didn’t wait. She surged forward, her divine power exploding outward as she collided head-on with the mechanical guardian. Ethan’s eyes widened slightly. The energy radiating off Andona was terrifying—she’d reached mid-stage Tier 17. When he’d left Emerald Castle, she hadn’t been anywhere near that level. And now? She’d caught up—and then some. Damn. That was one hell of a surprise. But there was no time to dwell on it. Ethan blinked forward, vanishing in a flash of light as he launched himself into the fray. Beside him, Elira’s wings beat furiously, kicking up a storm of wind and energy. And then—reinforcements arrived. The Emerald Castle army surged in from all directions, launching a full-scale assault. It didn’t take long. The outer gates crumbled under the pressure, and the army poured into the city. At the front of the charge was Feylora, leading the vanguard straight into the heart of Skygate Castle. The mechanoid’s eyes widened. Its body jerked violently as it sensed her approach, and a surge of raw power erupted from within it. In a flash, it shot toward her like a bolt of lightning. Ethan exhaled sharply. That thing was the strongest entity in Skygate Castle. As long as it was out of the picture, the rest of the defenders wouldn’t be much of a threat. But then he felt it—Feylora’s energy signature, pulsing from within the crowd. She was strong, no doubt. But her power wasn’t built for direct combat. If she went head-to-head with that mechanoid, she’d be in serious danger. The most update n0vels are published on 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭•𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘦•𝘯𝘦𝘵 "No. I need to help her—" He was just about to issue the order for backup when— A violent surge of energy exploded from the center of the battlefield. The mechanoid’s power was draining—fast. And it was all flowing straight into Feylora. Over the course of these battles, Feylora had discovered something strange about herself: her body was like a massive vessel, capable of absorbing nearly any kind of energy. And ever since entering the Umbral Abyss, that ability had grown exponentially stronger. She’d also noticed a pattern—every enemy’s core power was always hidden deep in the center of their stronghold. So this time, she didn’t hesitate. She dove straight into the heart of Skygate Castle and began absorbing everything she could. Her body swelled with power, energy flooding her veins until she was nearly bursting. And that’s when the mechanoid reached her. It raised its hand, aiming a crushing blow straight at her chest. Feylora’s eyes narrowed. Her energy surged outward in a blinding wave, forming a massive projection in the sky above her. She hurled it forward with everything she had. This was a power unique to the Fairy race—an ancient force imbued with the authority of the Fey Sovereign. Combined with the wild, chaotic energy she’d just absorbed, the resulting attack was devastating. But it came at a cost. This move drained everything she had. The moment the energy left her body, her strength collapsed. She staggered back, barely able to stay on her feet, retreating several steps as her vision blurred. At that moment, the rest of the Emerald Castle forces stormed onto the scene. "Die, you metal freak!" Sycaron let out a thunderous roar as his power erupted like a tidal wave, surging straight toward the mechanoid. Fueled by the raw, brutal strength of the Adamant Dragon, he charged in and drove his fist clean through the machine’s torso. The mech’s body was forged entirely from reinforced metal alloys—just punching a hole through it wasn’t enough to kill it. Not unless they destroyed its core. Hovering above the battlefield, Ethan watched the fight unfold, eyes locked on the mechanoid. At the same time, he activated a full-body scan, trying to pinpoint the exact location of its core before it could recover. VMMM... VMMM... VMMM... A strange, pulsing energy signature lit up on his system interface. In the mech’s chest, a blood-red orb was glowing faintly. The energy it gave off was eerily similar to the Primordial Force of the Umbral Abyss. That had to be it—its core. Ethan steadied his breathing, then dropped like a missile from the sky. Power surged through his body as he slammed into the mech’s back with a devastating blow, aiming right for the core. The others saw what he was doing and immediately followed suit, converging on the mechanoid from all sides. This thing was a mid-stage Tier 17 monster—its power was off the charts. If they didn’t take it down now, the Emerald Castle army would be in serious trouble. One after another, everyone unleashed everything they had. Blasts of energy, elemental strikes, raw physical force—it all slammed into the mech’s body, tearing through its outer armor like it was paper. The combined assault focused into a single point—straight at the core. A sharp, splintering sound echoed through the air. The red orb in the mech’s chest fractured. And then the mechanoid collapsed, its massive frame crashing to the ground with a heavy, metallic thud.