"How boring! Nothing fun ever happens around here! There's only the starry sky to look at!"

  A large woman complained as she sat on a large throne inside a cave. She was decidedly bored and had been complaining about the same things for a good half an hour, like a dull mother-in-law. Yet, the armored women in the room with her didn't dare interrupt her complaints. They remained steady and religiously silent, listening in awe to the voice of their glorious Queen.

  "I've been stuck here for weeks now, I think...I'm losing track of time.”

  She brought her right hand to the forehead, sighing tiredly.

  "Maybe I should do like the prisoners in the movies...mark the days on the walls. But now it's useless!"

  She groaned again, resting her chin on her right hand. She huffed irritably and patted her forehead, adjusting the small black tiara that she wore like a crown.

  Maybe I can try something...

  The pale woman conjured a small black portal and reached into it, pulling out a book.

  "This was the book that human used to summon me. I don't understand much about it, but maybe there's a way home."

  She wasn't sure what to look for in that five-hundred-page volume, but it was her only entertainment. Besides ordering her winged subordinates around and twiddling her thumbs, she had little to do.

  -She was a Queen without a Kingdom.

  Her castle remained in the other world, as did all her acquaintances. Only the servants had been taken there with her.

  There's still no sign of my daughter, same goes for that empty shell of my boyfriend...

  The book was also a way for her not to think about her loved ones who were missing. She was particularly worried about her daughter. Despite being almost as powerful as her, she feared she would never see her again. She still had much to teach her: how to be a perfect woman, how to behave as a Supreme Queen and so much more. Her daughter had always been a quiet girl, so she had a lot of work to do.

  I don't mind that it's a little cold, but she just works out and build even more muscle all day and nothing else. Well, at least she has a frendly relationship with the daughter of that old crow...

  She wanted her offspring to follow her example: becoming a great queen with a big kingdom. As for her fiancé, she was worried to a certain extent. He was the most intelligent being in existence; he would never be in a to big of a danger.

  "I honestly don't know how anyone can love books like this, they're so...banal!"

  She snorted again, not happy that her boredom wasn't being chased away- same thing applied to her concerns.

  What could have summoned me into this world? Me, the Supreme Queen!

  The woman’s brain was working overtime to understand what could have summoned her without her realizing it. As far as she knew, only one being had such power...

  “Almodeus!”

  The giant woman gritted her teeth and clenched the big fists. Her pale skin had turned red with rage.

  “That bastard! Is this a trick of his? As soon as I find him, I'll tear him to pieces!”

  “M-My Queen...”

  The outburst was interrupted by one of the female guards murmured timidly.

  “What is it, Albedo?”

  “W-We don't know if it's his fault. After all, Almodeus would never do something that would spark a fight between you two. Young Miss Almodea would never forgive him.”

  She had to admit that her subordinate was right. A clash with Almodeus would only lead to the end of all things, with no winners. Thinking about it carefully, the fact that it was the Fear Demon that had brought her to that world made little sense.

  “You’re right…But I still want to punch him in that face of his when I see him!”

  She hated being wrong, and her childish reaction was proof of that. Punching Almodeus in the face wouldn't change anything about her current situation, but she still wanted to vent her anger on someone. She could have asked Albedo or the other Esoterica to act as a bag for her punches, but she wouldn't have done that- she wasn’t that sadistic.

  I would come across as an insensitive Queen. Besides, they might even like it a bit. That would be bad...

  The Esoterica had been created by her to serve, but she had done it too well. If she had ordered them to commit suicide, they would have done so with joy and jubilation. Sometimes it even frightened her how loyal the winged women were.

  "Uh?"

  It was then that she felt a kind of sensation. Normally, she wouldn't have paid attention to weak signals, but this one had something unique: an energetic signature that only one individual could release.

  This energy...Is it possible that it is...No...or maybe yes?

  She stood up and made her way to the exit of the cave, signaling the women on guard not to follow her and wait for future orders.

  "Yes, it's definitely her! But if she's here...does that mean he could be here too? And...My daughter? Could she be here with them?"

  She muttered, bringing her hands to the chin.

  What would be the best choice? Go check it out or wait? Oh, fuck it! I'm the Queen of Chaos! What should I be afraid of?

  Armed with her bottomless ego and a cocky smile, the woman began to advance towards the source of that strange energy, unable to resist her curiosity.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  "Ohhhh! My head! It's all spinning!"

  Almodea commented, waking up in the middle of a crater. Her head was throbbing, but it was bearable. She felt a little exhausted, as if she'd been asleep for ten days.

  "Can someone tell me what the fuck happened?!"

  She cried out, looking around. Almodea was in the middle of a very deep crater; everything nearby had been destroyed, even the vegetation and insects. Nothing had survived the girl's great outburst. Memories were starting to return, but they were far from pleasant.

  The object that struck me, that boy in armor, the soldiers and…Fuuuuuuuuck!

  Despair painted itself on the girl's face, and she brought her hands to the hair and began to despair.

  "El Kaiser! I lost him! More the guys from before!"

  Almodea jumped up, slightly dazed from the previous fight. She hadn't sustained any serious injuries, except for a mild, unexplainable headache. She wasn't made of bone or muscle, so she didn't feel any physical fatigue at least.

  What to do now? Go back to Dad empty-handed or keep searching?

  Looking up at the sky, Almodea realized it was still night time. She didn't know how long she'd been out of action, but it was certainly long enough for everyone to escape. She'd failed her mission; that was now undeniable.

  “Why…Am I so weak?”

  Liquid began to run down the girl’s cheeks again.

  “No! I don't have to cry! I'm eighteen and I have to be mature... Ahhh! I hate all this!”

  Almodea quickly wiped away her tears, managing to stop them from spreading across her face. Her ego had been deeply wounded. She'd given El Kaiser that whole speech about strength and now here she was, despairing like a child.

  “I'm really pathetic...”

  She muttered softly, shrugging. Almodea was struggling to hold back the tears, and keeping the cheerful facade that she always put on was impossible to maintain. She wanted to burst into uncontrollable tears and wait for her father to sort things out.

  -But she couldn't.

  She was Almodeus's heir, so how could she play the part of the spoiled brat? What would her mother say to her? How could she behave like that and then get angry when people called her immature? She couldn't, that's how.

  I shouldn't be like this. I should be strong, imperturbable, and determined- like Dad! Why am I not good enough?

  Almodea managed to stop herself from crying. She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself, but only partially succeeded. She truly couldn't understand how things could have turned out that way.

  Dad should have sent Hirashi. She sure knows how to do things right, as always.

  It was hard not to think of her older sister, always perfect in everything she did, and consistently better than her at everything. When Almodea met Hirashi for the first time, she was initially reluctant to be friendly with the pale giantess, fearing that Almodeus would compare her to the more mature woman, ultimately dumping her in favor of the giantess and forgetting his only daughter. Thankfully, that didn't happen, and jealousy gave way to friendship and sisterhood.

  However, Almodea still had the bad habit of comparing herself to her sister, and that always led to an inferiority complex.

  "Well...Let's hope Dad doesn't get mad at the failure.”

  Maybe the cleric she brought back to the tower would have been enough to keep the mission from being considered a complete failure.

  Luckily, I brought the succubi back to the Fear Tower. That boy who fought me was too strong for them.

  Almodea began dusting her clothes. Thinking back to the boy who had managed to block one of her attacks irritated her greatly. He was definitely stronger than a normal human. If she had to evaluate him, Almodea would have placed him around level 60, no more. Her succubi were only level 30; they wouldn't have stood a chance with such a huge level difference—and she wasn't counting the equipment.

  Next time I meet him I'll have to kill him. Or I could make him prisoner and take him to—

  While she was lost in thought, Almodea was struck from behind. She felt no pain, but was still thrown against a nearby tree with great force. It was as if a baseball bat had hit her head.

  "Okay! This is fucking enough! Who wants his ass beaten up?!"

  The girl shouted, getting to her feet and looking around for her attacker. She got no response and saw no one. There was only a small grove and a few rocks nearby.

  I feel like someone is near me...

  Almodea sharpened her senses, still dulled from the forced nap from earlier, but alert enough to detect a movement behind her. With a swift move, she managed to unfold her dragon wings and use them to propel herself forward and avoid another blow from behind.

  You missed me this time!

  The impact of something heavy hitting the tree behind her was heard. The demoness whirled around and looked at what had tried to strike her: a golden sword had lodged itself in the trunk of a tree. But other than that, no one was present—just that shining sword.

  Did they leave their weapon here? I don't think it was thrown.

  Almodea reached for the weapon, intending to examine it, when it moved on its own, detaching itself from the tree and attacking her directly, as if cursed by some magic. The girl managed to dodge the blow, then kicked the weapon away. The impact knocked the sword far from her but, as if drawn by a magnet, it stopped in midair and began to return toward the grove.

  I get it! The weapon is remote-controlled! So it can't get too far away from its user!

  Realizing what she was up against, Almodea raised her right hand toward where the sword had disappeared into the darkness of the trees. The limb became charged with demonic energy, indicating she was ready to cast a spell.

  "Hey! Whoever you are, show yourself! Otherwise, I'll burn everything to ashes! You've been warned!"

  Once again, she got no response. Tired of waiting, Almodea decided to cast Doom Ray, a level 6 spell consisting of a simple red laser, capable of piercing armor like butter and nullifying any resistance to magic. However...

  “Huh?”

  ...As she was ready to cast it, a figure emerged from the woods: he was tall, dressed in armor entirely gilded and shining as brightly as the sun. On his chest and shoulders were lion heads with open mouths; he appeared unarmed, and there was no trace of the golden sword he had earlier.

  And who the hell is this?!

  Almodea canceled her uncasted spell and stared at the newcomer with a puzzled expression. It was clear that his wasn't an ordinary armor, as he was hovering a few meters above the ground, as if imbued with the Levitation spell.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  "Hey! Who are you? Why did you attack me?"

  To no one's surprise, Almodea got no response—a fact that irritated her more than a little. She began to scrutinize her opponent's body, completely covered in armor except for the two eyeholes on the helmet, from which an emerald-green light was emanated. It was easy to deduce that the armor was enchanted from head to toe. This could have been a problem; if the enchantment had been holy or of a high enough level, Almodea's passive defenses would not have been enough to avoid some damage.

  "How about you answer me once and for all, uhu?! You're the one who attacked me for no reason and without even introducing yourself! And they call me the immature one!"

  Almodea shouted, getting no response for the umpteenth time. Irritated by this constant cliché, the girl decided to raise her right arm again and point her open palm straight at the silent knight.

  "You either talk, or you get a laser beam up your ass! The choice is yours!"

  Her tone was fierce, completely different from her usual playful one. Needless to say, once again, she received no response. Almodea's patience had reached its limit—she could no longer resist her murderous fury.

  -She needed to let of some steam after a bad night, after all.

  "Enough! Doom Ray!"

  The laser beam fired without a hitch, but the armor—which had remained immobile until then—moved inhumanly, spinning around and dodging the attack, before charging forward.

  It's too static to be piloted by a human! Who's inside?

  Golden liquid poured from the armor's right hand, instantly forming a sharp axe, ready to strike Almodea with all its might. The speed of that armor alone was surreal and impossible to follow, but not for a demon as powerful as Almodea.

  "You're too slow!"

  She scoffed, simply dodging the blow without difficulty. Almodea summoned her dragon tail, swishing it toward the knight, creating further distance between them. She could have attacked again, but chose not to do so. For some reason, she sensed a strange energy from that strange armor.

  It's not holy magic...But it smells similar.

  Almodea had a good nose for magic- literally. However, she couldn't quite pinpoint what kind of magic was powering the enemy's armor. She couldn't appear doubtful in the face of an unknown foe, so she simply laughed at the knight face.

  "Hahahaha! You're funny! Maybe I'll keep you alive and-"

  Almodea's catchphrase was cut short when the knight disappeared from her sight. Where had he gone? How had he managed to move so quickly? Probably the same way he'd stabbed her from behind earlier. Unfortunately for him, Almodea's senses were now fully operational; she wasn't going to be fooled twice from the same trick.

  Where are you, you bastard? Come out! How can he move so fast?!

  As she reasoned, the girl noticed a shadow above her. Almodea looked up and saw the knight, with his right arm raised, and several golden weapons beside him: an axe like the one from before, a mace, a battle hammer, a halberd, and a spear.

  All those weapons...I know what he wants to do!

  Despite understanding the enemy's plan, Almodea couldn't avoid the combined attack of the five weapons. The knight lowered his hand, and the golden weapons struck the girl squarely. The impact created a huge cloud of dust that covered the entire area.

  The floating armor recalled its weapons and lowered slightly, as if to verify that the challenger had been completely eliminated.

  "My mission is accomplished."

  The golden knight murmured, taking one last look at the dust cloud, which had begun to spread. The shining figure turned his back on the battlefield, ready to leave, when he heard a sound like the flapping of wings behind him.

  “Huh?”

  The armor immediately turned, and although expressionless and with no facial features on its helmet, it was clear that whoever was piloting it was feeling surprised and confused at the scene unfolding before him.

  "So you can talk, you idiot!"

  Almodea's voice echoed through the area. The girl emerged from the dust and moved at great speed toward the knight, using her draconic wings as a source of momentum. She didn't appear to have sustained much damage from the impact of the golden weapons, but there were still some differences in her appearance: her wings had expanded, her right hand had transformed into a crimson clawed paw, and her scarlet right eye was now glowing even brighter than before.

  -She really looked like an angry dragonoid now.

  Seeing it coming at himself at full speed, the armor launched its weapons once again, but it was all in vain. A single aerial acrobatics was enough, and they were all easily avoided. With nothing left to worry about, Almodea lunged at the golden knight, scraping his right lion-shaped shoulder pad with a swipe of her claws, before knocking him to the ground with a well-aimed kick, leaving a deep furrow.

  "Did you really think I wouldn't notice what you were doing?"

  Almodea taunted him, landing a few meters away and slowly approaching. Rushing would be pointless—her wings could even reach a jet, let alone a damaged flying armors.

  "All those weapons were to see what kind I was weak to- isn't that right, you bastard?! Cutting weapons, thrusting weapons, blunt weapons... You wanted to figure out how to damage me! You were smart, I admit it! But not smart enough!"

  The knight tried to get up, but then the heel of Almodea's boot landed on his forehead, crushing him against the ground with such force that the earth beneath cracked. A smile spread across the girl's face, now with the upper hand in this improvised combat.

  "Unfortunately for you, I'm immune to any kind of weapons! It doesn't matter what you use! Cutting weapons, blunt weapons, thrusting weapons, and so on... All are useless on me!"

  "This is impossible!"

  For the first time, the knight responded to one of Almodea's taunts. Noticing this, the girl stopped applying pressure and removed her boot from the top of his armor. Before the knight could get up, she sat on his chest, with a macabre smile on her face. It was obvious she was up to no good.

  "You finally react! I was tired of being the only one talking, you know?"

  Almodea's claws grew even longer and sharper. It seemed as if her fingers had fused with her nails, becoming dragon-like.

  "Before I take you away with me, I'll tear you to pieces!"

  She began to strike the armor with sadistic and amused claw attacks. The blows started slowly and then gained speed, chipping away at the armor.

  "Let me in! Let me in! Let me in!"

  Almodea repeated over and over obsessively, as she continued to tear pieces from the epaulettes and the bodice. Scraps of gold flew left and right, while the knight remained on the ground, helpless in the face of that carnage.

  "Ohhh? What's wrong? Are you not talking anymore?"

  She wrapped her claws around the helmet and began to tighten her grip. Almodea’s hand had grown large enough to resemble a full-grown bear's paw.

  "Did the cat get your tongue? Or are you scared of a beautiful princess like me? What a pussy! Hahahaha!"

  The girl seemed unable to contain her lust for slaughter. The thrill of the pain and terror she was inflicting on someone who had inconvenienced her was too gratifying. She didn't care if the armor had been empty, she just wanted to wallow in her foe terror.

  "Dragon Rage!"

  "Uh? What the fu-"

  At that moment, Almodea heard a spell being cast behind her. A powerful beam of energy shaped like a dragon struck her full force, knocking her into a distant tree. The powerful level 8 spell had been cast by a suit of blood-red armor, similar to the golden one that had just been freed from Almodea's grasp.

  "Are you okay, Gold?"

  The red knight asked, helping the golden one to get on his feet.

  "Yes, thanks Red..."

  The second nodded, then turned to Almodea, who had quickly recovered from the blow and was watching them, still in her half-dragon form.

  And who is this one?

  The girl's eyes widened and she clicked her tongue in annoyance. The newcomer wore armor similar to his companion's one, but instead of lions, he had dragons' mouths on his shoulders and chest. The second one, moreover, seemed to move more humanly than the first. It was as if there was actually someone inside this one.

  "What this is?! What's a dragonoid doing here?!"

  "I don't know. I don't even think she's a dragonoid."

  “What is she then?!”

  “I have no idea. I thought I could take her out myself, but it didn't work out…”

  "Let me help you with that!"

  "Wait! We can't fig-"

  “Are you two finished talking?!”

  Almodea's voice interrupted the knights. She was irritated by the situation. She had the upper hand in this fight, yet the other two were treating her with condescension. She should have be the one doing that, given the circumstances. What had changed? Now that there were two of them, did they think they could beat her?

  “Hey, you! You'll pay for going against the Red Dragon Lord!”

  The red knight roared, raising his arm toward Almodea. A magical sphere emerged from the limb and hurtled toward the girl. She didn't flinch and was struck by the spell, but nothing happened—the magical projectile simply vanished after reaching her.

  "What? No damage?"

  The demoness commented, surprised. She hadn't expected to suffer serious injuries, but hadn't thought the blow would be so weak, not after the way her opponent had spoken. The knights were as surprised as she was.

  "Impossible! That was a level 6 instant death spell!"

  "Level 6? You're kidding, right?"

  Almodea laughed, thinking it was a joke.

  "Right? Right?!"

  However, when she realized the red one was not joking, her smile vanished completely.

  "Wait...Are you serious?! Do you really think I can't handle spells of this level?!"

  Momentarily furious at being underestimated, Almodea lunged at the red knight, but the golden one stepped in and blocked her attack with a combination of the hammer and the mace. When Almodea moved to counterattack, the red one returned the favor, striking her with a magic-infused fist. It didn't hurt her, but the unexpected counterblow managed to create distance between the girl and them.

  -One thing had become clear to the two knights: facing Almodea hand to hand was a suicide.

  "You two are boring..."

  Almodea commented, then looked at the one who had attacked her.

  "...And you disgust me! You're too weak to be called Dragon Lord! You're just a pale imitation of a real dragon!"

  She railed at him, glaring at the knight with her crimson eyes filled with anger. In response, the two knights looked at each other, as if seeking reassurance. The battle was heating up, and they had to be ready.

  "Red, it's my fault we're in this situation."

  "What are you saying, Gold? It's not true!"

  "Yes, it is. I underestimated my opponent. You can run away if you want, I'll hold her back."

  "No! I'm staying with you! I'm sure we can beat her!"

  The golden knight seemed to pause for a moment, considering their options. Escaping would be too difficult, so he chose to fight. He summoned the five golden weapons and prepared to attack.

  "Okay, let's go then!"

  The knight lunged at Almodea, who had remained to listen to them only out of pure curiosity.

  Do they really think they can beat me? Idiots!

  “Come on! Face me!"

  Almodea began using her wings to block the enemy attacks. They were large and strong, capable of withstanding any impact. One thing she'd noticed during the previous exchange was that the two didn't have the same fighting style: the golden one was a sort of melee tank, seemingly only capable of using active skills and not tier magic, while the red one seemed more like a ranged attacker, skilled in higher-level magic.

  “Die, Infamous monster!"

  After another exchange of blows, Almodea managed to temporarily take down the golden knight, completely ignoring the red one. Of the two, he was the weaker and more emotional; if she had eliminated him, she would have gained nothing. By eliminating the golden one, the Red Dragon Lord's defeat would have been assured.

  "Hey! Executioner! Take this!"

  The dragon armor shouted at her, preparing a spell called Dragon Obliterator. It was a level 7 spell that dealt massive area damage, tripled against those with dragon blood in their veins. Almodea didn't care much and took the attack head on.

  What an idiot! He mistook me for a dragonoid!

  However, once struck by the spell, Almodea was slightly stunned by the recoil, allowing the lion knight to lunge at her, managing to land a strike with his battle hammer. Almodea was hurled against a tree, which then cracked and collapsed on top of her, crushing her under its gentle weight.

  "We can take advantage of this moment to leave!"

  The golden knight declared.

  "What? What are you saying, Gold?! We have to kill her! We can't let her go! She's too dangerous! You saw what she did to your armor, right?! It's—"

  “Ahahahahaha!”

  "What?"

  "How?!"

  Almodea's laughter interrupted the argument between the two, who stared at her in amazement. Even after taking so many blows, she seemed completely unharmed. She pushed aside the tree that was crushing her as if it were a feather and prepared to attack the two again—not without taunting them further first, though.

  "Do you really think you can beat me? ME?! Do you know who's going to die? You idiots!"

  "No, you're the one going to the grave! Here and now!"

  As Red charged another spell, Gold raised his right hand, as if to imitate him.

  “We may not be able to beat her, but we can contain her. Dimension-Breaking Barrier!”

  As if summoned by the knight's shout, a large transparent barrier surrounded all three of them.

  Huh? Is that a spell? I thought he didn't know how to use magic like that!

  Almodea was confused. Gold's weapons and armor were undoubtedly infused with a strange magic that could bypass her passive defenses and inflict spiritual damage, but she didn't think that a barrier could be generated with the same magic as a core.

  Without hesitation, Almodea approached the edge of the barrier, completely ignoring the two knights. She tried to punch it, but it didn't even dent—it seemed impenetrable. Moreover, Almodea could feel her energy being slowly drained by that strange magic.

  I have to find a way to break this barrier—and fast!

  She immediately thought of using Absolute Uncurse, a spell that could negate any negative spell. However...

  “Hey! Stop ignoring us!”

  ...The two knights didn't seem to be willing to let her do as she pleased. Red struck her from behind with another Dragon Obliterator, which only forced Almodea against the barrier. It was then that Gold attacked simultaneously with his five weapons.

  “Ugh-!”

  Overloaded by a strange magic, the weapons managed to damage Almodea, inflicting several cuts on her side. The demon girl was thrown across the barrier, near the opposite edge.

  “Let’s attack her again, Red! She looks exhausted.”

  “I'm here, Gold!”

  "I..."

  Almodea's claws dug into the dirt as she rose from the ground. She was extremely angry, and the source of that strong emotion was the two knights charging her. She gritted her teeth, opened her wings and unsheathed her claws, screaming at the top of her lungs.

  “I WILL KILL YOU! I WILL MAKE YOU REGRET FACING ALMODEA FEARTERROR!”

  A fiery red aura emerged from the girl, soaring into the sky like a pillar of furious flame. Despite the barrier draining her energy, Almodea's strength showed no sign of diminishing; in fact, the angrier she became, the more it grew.

  The air in the area was starting to die. Unbeknownst to the two knights, Almodea's aura was killing everything in her vicinity: viruses, bacteria, gravity—nothing was safe from what could only be described as a fear so great it frightened the world itself. The ground was twisting beneath the girl's feet, as if it were trying to escape.

  -It was a terrifying sight, to say the least.

  “S-Such demonic power in the hands of a single being? C-Could she be affiliated with one of the Seven Great Sins?”

  The red knight asked with trembling voice, stepping back.

  “I doubt it. They operated completely differently, and more than seven hundred years have passed from their death.”

  The golden knight replied. He was trying to remain stoic, but even he was awed by the strength Almodea was displaying. Despite their long battle, and the destabilizing effects of the barrier weighing on her, she still seemed capable of fighting as if nothing had happened.

  “What do we do, Gold? Facing her doesn't seem like the best idea anymore...”

  The Red Dragon Lord's words were filled with tension. He knew he wasn't Almodea's match, but that creature could even hold her own against Gold, who was far superior to him. Fighting no longer seemed the right option.

  “The barrier will hold her here. We can retreat and return with the other Forever Knights.”

  The other replied calmly. Almodea hated seeing them planning their next moves. Were they really that stupid? Did they really think she would give them time to escape? They were continuing to underestimate her, even though she had already proven herself to be the strongest. She should be the one doing the undermining, not them. Pride was a privilege of the strong- and she was the strongest in that situation.

  “You underestimate me! Do you really think I'm going to let you out of here alive?!”

  "You're just a monster with little intelligence. We'll beat you like we did all the others!"

  “Huh? You dare insult me?!”

  Gold didn't answer her. He simply took up his warhammer and began to slowly advance toward the girl. It was strange. Until recently they had talked about retreating, yet now they seemed intent on attacking her.

  Do they really think I can't see through their bluff? They think I'm that clueless?!

  Almodea gritted her teeth at that veiled insult. Anyone would have noticed that the two were trying to attack her, leading her into a trap. They probably wanted to use the hammer's high recoil to widen the gap and take advantage of the opportunity to escape, presumably with a teleportation spell. If they hadn't used it immediately, it meant they didn't know of any instantaneous spells of that kind, so they feared she might jump on them during the casting time.

  I should catch them, but I can't resist the urge to kill them! I want to make them suffer!

  Furious, Almodea lunged at them, knowing that getting close would be playing into their hands. Why do it, then? Simple: she didn't care. She was the strongest in that battle, so she had to dictate the rules of the fight. To indulge to her opponent game for so little would be to admit to fearing him.

  -Needless to say, this would be an insult to Almodea.

  Seeing her coming at him, Gold swung his mighty hammer. There should have been a clash between the two, and the outcome would have been decided by individual strength. But it didn’t happen...

  “Huh?”

  "What?!"

  ...A burst of purple and black flames interrupted the two fighters, pushing them back. At first, Almodea thought it was an attack from the red knight, but quickly dismissed that possibility. Even Gold seemed surprised by the interruption.

  This...is Void Magic? Hirashi is not here! Who could have used it, then?!

  A few dark flames had reached Almodea's arms- she had quickly covered her face to avoid being temporarily blinded. Normally, the fire shouldn't have affected her, but in this case she was taking some damage. It wasn't serious and would regenerate almost immediately, but the very fact that Void Magic had been used in that battle was a dangerous sign, regardless of who had used it.

  If Absolute Magic was the most powerful form of magic, Void Magic was the most reality-warping one. Almodea would be in grave danger if she were hit by a direct, high-level attack—her passive defenses would be useless in that case. The situation had deteriorated so much that she was seriously considering retreat, even though it was embarrassing to even think of it against beings so inferior to her.

  It was then that a voice interrupted her thoughts.

  “Almodea! How long since we've seen each other! How are you?”

  The girl turned towards the source of those words and her eyes widened in surprise. Almodea couldn't believe what she was seeing.

  "YOU HERE?!"

  The two knights stepped back; a new opponent had arrived.