She had been swapping weapons often, but never fast enough to keep up with her rising power. The bows and guns she carried before were too low-level to pierce Shanrane’s defenses, and one swing of his battleaxe shattered them on the spot. Relics and items could last, but weapons were a constant problem. Now she was falling back step by step. The gap in attributes already made the fight hard, and with Shanrane wielding a top-tier axe while she had nothing in her hand, many of her opportunities to strike had to be abandoned. Worse, she could not land the heavy blows needed to truly wound him. Even if she managed to reverse their health pools at the perfect time, she had no way to finish him before he recovered. Googlᴇ search novel⁂fire.net On the ground, players began to falter. Before Rita’s return, they had clung to a kind of blind optimism, convincing themselves that if she came back, everything could be fixed. Now she was here, and after the joy had burned away, the truth stared them down. If BS-Rita lost, Blue Star was finished. The atmosphere grew tighter than before she returned. They wanted to throw out support skills, but the speed of the two fighters was too high. Without a team link, one misplaced buff might hit Shanrane instead. Nivalis, still fighting below, saw what Rita lacked. She had no weapon. She needed one fit to stand beside her. When Rita was forced down by a crescent slash from Shanrane’s axe, Nivalis abandoned the aliens at her side and surged upward. One retreating, one advancing, they met eyes midair. Firelight and icy blue curved into a circle. At that moment, a mark that had long lain dormant ignited. Whether it was those words—I am willing to die for her on Blue Star—or whether Lightchaser’s shadow had finally changed her, she could not say. But when the ethereal voice asked, Do you fear her betrayal? her heart was steady. Of course she feared it. Power made no difference. The more precious the bond, the deeper the fear of loss. But she would remember this moment, remember Nivalis’s fear, sorrow, and devotion. Revival did not cheapen courage. So it was fine. Fear was fine. She was her dragon. The axe fell toward Nivalis, but the dragon vanished, transforming into a beam of icy blue light that flew into Rita’s grasp. She raised her hand. The light coalesced into a dagger of frost. A dagger longer than most, nearly the length of her forearm, carved of purest icefire, with visible winds and flames of frost coiling about it. The blade was shaped like a dragon’s fang. White lines of cold light pulsed across its surface, the hilt covered in scales, an open dragon’s eye gleaming near its crown. Icefire crawled like vines from the dagger up her right arm, and dragon markings spread across her face. Her hair turned to icy blue. World-tier weapon — Her Dragon! Immune to all Ice-element skills It was enough to match her current power. It could even shift forms with her will. And she knew—when Nivalis grew stronger, so would this blade. World-tier was enough to rival a tier-14 weapon. And this dagger bore five skills, each one born from Nivalis’s divine gifts. Queencard: While holding the dagger, designate an attribute. Magic damage of that type +300%. Cast speed of related skills +150%. Cooldown: 10 minutes. Attribute can be changed once per cooldown. Dragon Thief: A time skill. Rewind your state to any point within the last 5 minutes. Cooldown: 30 minutes. Specialist Channel: A healing skill. Each attack has a 10% chance to instantly restore your health and mana to full. Dragons Are : Passive. Increases the chance of skill comprehension during battle by 30%. Level One Protected Species of the Cosmos: Passive. This weapon cannot be destroyed. With a weapon in hand, Rita stopped retreating. She split off a shadow with Shadow Manipulation to take Nivalis’s role on the ground. Throat Slash: Lightchaser. Backstab: Lightchaser. Six skills returned to her bar, all at grade A from the start. The ones she had trained day after day—they were back. B8017913 had already warned her. In six hours, the second abyssal leader would descend. She had to finish Shanrane quickly. She had no other choice. With Cat Head? and Where’s the Head? clearing cooldowns, Rita unleashed it three times. Two runs of 24 hours she spent drilling her Lightchaser and Wail skills. The last, she wasted on stacking buffs. When time flowed again, she carried fifty buffs. Phoenix Seat and Unchanged Fate roared to life. She abandoned defense and went all in. Lightchaser’s assassin style exploded from her hands. She refused to use Moment of Reversal. No—she would kill Shanrane with nothing but her skills and strength, in full view of every Blue Star player. She would wash away the pain and shame Lania Kaia had brought. She would give the hopeless hope. She would prove to them all—so long as she returned, Blue Star would not fall. The dagger carved arcs of frostfire through the air. With every turn of her body she poured all her strength into its strikes. She had learned two different schools of assassin combat, from Lightchaser and Wail both. But here, now, on this battlefield, she needed Lightchaser’s brutal artistry. Blood rained from above. Shanrane’s screams drowned fear and rage alike. His hot blood washed despair away. One backward step to dodge his sweep. Flash Step carried her in, dagger driving for his heart. A glow gathered on Shanrane’s axe—his ultimate. But a sigil flared on her palm. She slammed it to his brow, dazing him, breaking the cast. Deceitful Bloom’s gift. Control. Not strong enough for a drunken haze, but enough for death. "I declare that all life-restoring skills are null for BS-Rita and Shanrane of Lania Kaia!" A timer blazed above their heads. Ten minutes. A rule-skill. Arrogant, audacious. And yet, when Shanrane looked into her eyes, he felt the truth. Today, he would not return.