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  [Status] KiAera's

  Dominions: [Revise] [Virtuoso]

  Attributes: [Fire] [Beast] [AltRe: [Select]]

  ???

  ? [Select an Attribute] ?

  - [Ore]

  - [Glacial]

  - [Wind]

  - [Plant]

  - [Deino]

  - [Voltage]

  [Wind]. I selected it. The change happened instantly.

  ???

  [Status] KiAera's

  Attributes: [Fire] [Beast] [AltRe: Wind]

  ???

  That switch made me lighter and faster like a slyph. I twirled through the air and unleashed skills like [Spectral Wind] and [Wind Slice] while infusing them with [Spectral Flame].

  We were now weaving past the freakish, towering jungle trees at breakneck speeds.

  Nonetheless Blatt sliced through entire thick trunks like they were made of paper.

  She resumed to pursue effortlessly, her wings catching the air with a velvety grace. "Then what is it? An escape? A tactical retreat? Speak plainly, warrior!"

  I grinned, relishing the challenge. "Call it a strategic repositioning! I didn't take to the skies just for the ambiance."

  With that proclamation, I veered to the left, narrowly avoiding a massive bough as I channeled the energy of the wind.

  The gust I created pushed me further away, spiraling upward as I unleashed a flurry of [Wind Slices], shaped as blades, toward her.

  Blatt moved with an agility that defied logic, her sickles gleaming as she deflected each slice with a fluid grace that was mesmerizing to behold. "Impressive! But flashy moves won't subdue me!"

  Tacking to one side, she spun in midair, cutting through two of the wind blades with a single swipe. The gusts faltered, and she used the momentary opening to gain altitude and charge again.

  "I'll show you a move of [Mantikata] that even your speed cannot escape!"

  She launched herself forward, her sickles poised to strike directly at my midsection.

  I barely had time to react, twisting my body to dodge the incoming arc. The air whistled around me as she passed, the sheer force of her attempted attack stirring up a whirlwind that ruffled my fur.

  As I regained my composure, I decided to change my tactics entirely. If pure speed and agility wouldn't be enough to take her down, I would utilize the full extent of my dominions.

  A flash of inspiration ignited in my mind. If I could combine my [Fire] attribute with [Wind] through a powerful combination of techniques, perhaps I could overwhelm her defenses.

  That was the main reason I led her away from the Crystal Village: to ensure that none of my friends would be harmed by what I was about to do.

  I inhaled deeply, focusing on the heat within. It rippled like a rising tide. The wind swirled around me, feeding the fire, and as I exhaled, I unleashed a tempest of [Flame Cyclone] around myself.

  "Let's see if you can dance with this!"

  Several more massive fiery vortexes roared to life, spinning violently with embers igniting the surrounding air. They started as ten, then twenty, and eventually there were hundreds of them.

  I watched as they enveloped Blatt. She didn't flinch, however.

  [The [Fire] has been canceled out by Blatt Knif's high resistance level.]

  [KiAera's [FPWR] of [14,500] is unsuccessful in canceling out Blatt Knif's high resistance level.]

  [Blatt Knif's [220,000] resistance allows her to resist [Fire]'s type advantage as [Neutral] type damage.]

  No way! That explained a lot about why she looked unfazed.

  I almost called foul, as this was newfound knowledge. [Xensect]- and [Metal]-attribute monsters were vulnerable to the [Fire] attribute, and it should have been very destructive.

  In truth, I was alarmed, but despite it all, I didn't allow it to show on my face. I needed to shift the plan to B.

  There was an intensity in Blatt's voice that reverberated above the din of the hurricanes.

  "Your finesse and fury in the elements are superb. But your flames won't scorch me. This ends here—"

  But the forest didn't burn. No, it never did. Instead, it began to freeze as I converted the properties of the flames into freezing [Spectral Flames]. Then the vortexes began to crackle with the charge of tendrils of blue electricity.

  I unleashed a barrage of wind-infused ribbons, each shimmering as they cut through the air like blades of light. They spiraled toward her, creating a mesmerizing bouquet of tendrils designed to rip and tear.

  Blatt responded with practiced efficiency, spinning her sickles to intercept the ribbons, but I could see the flicker of surprise in her eyes when I cracked her forelimb.

  Then the next element of surprise came. A lightning bolt from the darkened sky zapped her. It startled her further.

  "What's this?!"

  The lightning had struck, scorching her shoulder's exoskeleton. It nearly inflicted [Paralysis] on her.

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  [[Paralysis] has been canceled out by Blatt Knif's high resistance level.]

  [KiAera's [WIL] of [9,600] is unsuccessful in canceling out Blatt Knif's high resistance level.]

  [Blatt Knif's [220,000] resistance allows her to resist [Paralysis] and KiAera's [WIL] of [9,600].]

  But of course she resisted it.

  Unfortunately for her she still had been damaged.

  I kept my expression neutral. Didn't want to look overexcited as the exhilaration built within me. It was time to cast a combination of skills to win this once and for all.

  I gathered energy from the atmosphere around me, feeling the currents swirl, coiling and twisting as I directed them into a concentrated form. "You might think your technique transcends mere combat, but I aim to teach you the limits of pride!"

  Blatt reacted instantly, her instincts were sharp as she raised her sickles, creating a defensive barrier by crossing them in an X-shape. But I could see she underestimated the intensity of the storm I had summoned. The gusts caught her off guard, lifting her into the air briefly.

  "Now!" I shouted, launching more ribbons like arrows, each one imbued with fiery energy.

  The ribbons and cyclones of various elements streaked through the air toward her as a swirling tempest of chaos. Blatt tried to slice through the oncoming assault with her sickles, but the sheer volume and intensity overwhelmed her.

  She screeched; I howled above the dissonance of the windstorm.

  "Blatt, you may be a queen in your own right, but you are not invincible!"

  The ribbons struck true, wrapping around her limbs and pulling her toward the center of the cyclone I had orchestrated. She lashed out desperately, but my ribbons held firm, and the fire and frost began to converge, creating a violent whirlwind of elements that threatened to consume her.

  [Blatt Knif's health is decreasing rapidly!]

  As the maelstrom intensified, I could see the jagged edges of the frostbite forming on her carapace, the fire licking at her with relentless fervor.

  The sky darkened overhead, and arcs of blue lightning crackled ominously. I could feel my mana declining rapidly as the thrill of the battle radiated through me.

  [KiAera's mana is decreasing rapidly!]

  [MP: 80,000 / 195,934] + [Reserve: 19200]

  The sight of the guaged looked harrowing. But I didn't allow myself to become overly concerned about it.

  I had a job to finish.

  "Feel the storm, Blatt! Feel how it bends and breaks all who stand in its wake!"

  But she was not finished yet. A fierce determination ignited in her eyes, a flame that mirrored my own. "You underestimate me, KiAera!" she bellowed, using brute strength to wrench one of her scythes free from the ribbons' grasp.

  She slashed a formidable crescent of condenser air pressure my way. I couldn't allow that to touch me.

  I reacted faster than I thought possible, summoning another set of ribbons to form a offensive assault. The sickle met the woven strands, creating another shockwave that rattled the trees around us.

  I pooled my energy into a single, potent strike.

  "Let's put an end to this!"

  I declared channeled my willpower into the ribbons, causing them to ignite with shimmering colors—the fiery reds and blue-white electricity merging seamlessly.

  Blatt attempted to dodge, her movements graceful yet frantic. She spun her sickles, aiming to cut through the oncoming waves of energy, but I had anticipated this.

  The ribbons wove around her like an intricate net, tightening with each passing moment, seeking to ensnare her.

  "Resist if you must. But even the most skilled predator can be caught in its own web."

  The ribbons snapped together, forming a swirling barrier of energy that encased her, locking her sickles in place. I could see the muscles in her limbs straining as she fought against the energy binding her.

  "How?!" she snarled, a flicker of frustration seeping through her composed facade. "You dare to try and bind one trained in the ways of Mantikata?"

  "This is not merely an attack; this is a fusion of fire, ice, wind, and lightning! I hope you're ready!"

  With that, I unleashed the combined force of my abilities. The cyclone erupted, expanding outward with a blinding light as the elemental energies exploded in a spectacular display of color and raw force.

  The eruption hit Blatt head-on, hurling her into the troposphere entirely. Her body illuminated inside the tempestuous chaos that swept her upwards.

  "This...cannot be!" she screamed, her voice lost among the howling winds.

  I watched in awe and exhilaration as the cyclone raged around her, thrashing her body with tremendous force. It finally subsided as Blatt plummeted down toward the forest with a heavy thud.

  As I fell, I took stock of my surroundings. The Crystal Village sprawled in the distance against the dusking horizon, its tranquil beauty juxtaposed with the chaos of our battle.

  I proceeded to hover downward—toward Blatt's sizzling body. She was slumped and heavily damaged, but still alive. That was her resilience.

  I almost turned to leave her. Just then, the rasp of her voice caught my attention.

  She spoke without mockery.

  "You fight well. Too well for one so young. But you lack the weight."

  She didn't elaborate at first. She didn't need to. Somehow she stood to her feet. Though her body shook. Everything she did was sheer willpower.

  She was no longer a threat. I could sense that at least. But the way she shifted her stance—measured, careful, ruthless—was a story of its own.

  Still, her next words struck like arrows launched between strikes.

  "I have fought for twenty-seven years," she said, eyes never leaving mine. "Before the Queen called me 'General,' I was simply 'Knif'—a scavenger mantid with nothing but broken shell and open sky. No orders. No cause. Just the will to sharpen what I had."

  Her foot dragged subtly across the cracked ground. Not to reposition, but to etch a boundary, an invisible line.

  "In Xulthrune, I led no army. I was the army. For thirteen hundred cycles, I carved through the hollow forests of the Spined Steppe, the Caustic Spine, and the Crystal Blight. There, I faced an [Alpha]-variant—a Ruin Drake that turned half my carapace to ash. I killed it with one claw. And with its death, the tribes of the steppe bowed."

  She pivoted suddenly, deflecting a flick of my ribbon with the back of her arm—a block that used no excess motion, just raw efficiency. Her philosophy wasn't just something she believed in. She had lived it.

  "Fifty-two [Elite] Zeldritch fell before me across the warfronts of Zeldritzon. Not one by ambush. Not one by treachery. Only by technique. Only by will."

  "Even a Wanderan platoon fell to these claws…"

  "I did not inherit my title. I forged it. Dominion by Dominion. Scar by scar. You call me Queen-type now—but I built my own empire with my sickles alone, before the Grimgore Warlock ever claimed me."

  I shifted my stance, feeling the tension ripple through the ground between us.

  "You chose to serve him?"

  Blatt Knif's eyes flickered—not with doubt, but remembrance.

  "I chose purpose. Before him, Fluzzerscreech gave me a battlefield wide enough for my creed. That is all I've ever needed. I don't conquer for pleasure. I conquer for order. My path leaves no chaos in its wake—only structure, and silence."

  "Then why don't you join me?"

  I poised my arms outward in a gesture of embrace.

  "Your path can change if you choose it to! You have knowledge and experience that could build a better world, one beyond war and conflict."

  Blatt's expression remained stoic, but the intensity of her gaze softened. It was as if she was weighing the implications of my words against the weight of her own history.

  "You speak of change as if it is so easily grasped, young KiAera. You cannot simply cast aside the tapestry of your past and weave a new one without losing threads that define you. I am forged in conflict, as much as I am in philosophy. My purpose may be rigid, but it is not without honor."

  "And what is honorable about continued subjugation and fighting?" I pressed, my ribbons retreating back to a more relaxed state.

  I smiled as I stared at the sky's beauty.

  "The world is changing—can't you feel it? The very air we breathe is different, charged with the possibility of something new."

  Frustration flickered in Blatt's eyes. "Why don't you just kill me now? You are the victor. Give this old warrior an honorable discharge."

  Blatt crossed her arms, stabbing her sickles into the earth. She lowered her head, exposing her neck and awaiting the decisive blow that never came.

  I felt an unexpected pang in my chest at her submission. It was a moment I had anticipated, yet now that it was before me, it seemed wrong.

  Was she truly ready to die? The thought churned within me, wrestling against what I believed was right. I transformed into my human form. I stepped closer, my breath catching as I surveyed the fierce yet broken warrior before me.

  "Is this all you want? To end it here, on this battlefield, with no one to remember the sacrifices you've made?"

  She twitched slightly in response. I could see the weariness etched into her carapace, lines of struggle and resilience that spoke more than her words ever could.

  "I won't kill you, Blatt. That's not the kind of warrior I am. I order you to live. Respect that from a fellow soldier."

  My hand grasped her shoulder. She stiffened and remained frozen in her position.

  "Then I will live… but you may come to regret it."

  I almost wanted to reply—

  "That's fine, because you remind me of someone else I once cherished."