However, Beldru couldn't fully focus. The ice spirits continued to surround him, limiting his movement. In an effort to defend himself, he summoned his own lightning spirits—semi-transparent entities with glowing bodies that appeared around him. They launched attacks to counter Hana's advancing ice spirits.
The battle raged with such ferocity that the sky trembled. Ice meteors kept raining down endlessly from above, as if Hana herself was casting a storm of destruction from the heavens.
In the distance, Hana watched it all calmly. Her gaze shifted toward Beldru's army, still fighting wildly against her summoned beasts. Those beasts were purchased from the nearest Beast Tamer territory—animal slaves with low intelligence but unmatched ferocity. Though their strength only ranked at the early Grandmaster level, their brutality and agility were enough to throw the enemy's formation into disarray.
"Even if they're only early Grandmasters, they're more than enough to wipe out those people," Hana murmured coldly, her eyes still serene, like a ruler watching an execution unfold.
At that moment, from her right side, a figure appeared—Takulani. His loosely tied hair fluttered gently in the wind stirred by battle.
"Sorry I'm late, Lady Hana," he said casually, unhurried. His gaze then shifted to Beldru and his forces.
"It's fine, Lord Takulani. Let's finish him," Hana replied flatly, as if she were instructing a servant to sweep leaves off the courtyard.
"As you wish, my lady."
Takulani gave a small nod, then smiled—a thin smile that promised nothing but death.
Without using any special technique or releasing a noticeable aura, Takulani dashed toward Beldru. He showed no magical attributes, no flashy effects. He simply ran, using only his body, both hands gripping the hilt of the long sword on his back.
In just a few breaths, he was already closing in on Beldru's position. His movement was like a shadow—silent, unseen, undetected.
Within moments, Takulani arrived near Beldru. He made no sound, no dramatic entrance—just a quiet blur of motion slicing through the air. When he stopped, both his hands were already holding his sword's hilt.
He swung several times forward, slashing the empty air with no apparent target, ending with one light horizontal sweep.
Nothing happened at first. But just a second later, Beldru's body began to split—slowly, yet inevitably. Parts of his body slipped apart like sheets of paper falling from a stack. His remains then drifted downward, vanishing into the void of the universe.
His lightning domain vanished instantly. The lightning spirits around him disappeared in an instant, like candles snuffed out by a sudden gust. The pressure that once filled the air dissipated, leaving the atmosphere silent and cold—like the onset of winter.
Takulani stepped forward slowly to where Beldru last stood, picked up his spatial ring, then returned with light steps to Hana's side.
"Lord Takulani, as deadly as ever," Hana praised him with a small smile. This time it wasn't mocking—but genuine, filled with satisfaction.
Takulani returned the smile politely. "It was nothing, my lady. Just a one-time strike. Besides, the man's energy was already near empty." His tone was honest, even slightly modest.
Hana gave a small nod, then shifted her gaze toward the battlefield and the pirate ship in the distance. "Let's finish off the rest. Including the ship," she said lightly, as though choosing a dinner menu.
Nova Consortium Dominion – Zone #43
Lein sat cross-legged in the center of a massive meditation chamber, surrounded by thousands of law seed orbs. Small glowing lights floated gently through the air, each one carrying a fragment of the universe's fundamental laws.
A steady stream of energy flowed into Lein's body like a never-ending river. Every time a law seed lit up, it would dim and shatter after being drained, then immediately be replaced by a new one for absorption.
That was all he had done for two full days. Ever since upgrading his law seeds to level 7, his absorption speed had skyrocketed. Now, it only took four minutes to fully absorb a single seed and gain one point of basic law.
Lein absorbed the final essence, and as the orb vanished from the air, he slowly opened his eyes.
He exhaled deeply, cold sweat clinging to his forehead, and immediately brought up his status panel.
[Absorbing Basic Laws…]
Space Law: 568 (5.6%)/10,000
Gravity Law: 0 (0%)/10,000
Energy Law: 0 (0%)/10,000
"Even with four minutes per seed, only 568 points," Lein muttered softly, his tone showing clear dissatisfaction. He stared at the screen with a furrowed brow, clearly evaluating his next move.
With a small shrug, he leaned back and gave a slight smirk. "I wonder how Efan's doing right now," he said with a quiet chuckle. His voice was relaxed, but in his mind, Lein was calculating Efan's potential and the risks he might be facing.
Two days ago, he had intentionally left the young man to face off against a Grandmaster from the Malicus Sect—a life-or-death trial meant to sharpen his combat instincts. So far, no emergency signals had come from the shadow clone Lein placed as a hidden observer. That was enough to convince him Efan was still alive… or at least not in immediate danger.
"Well then, time to wrap up the mission," he said, his tone lightening. He stood, his body lifting effortlessly from his meditative posture, still surrounded by faint remnants of law energy flickering away.
"Dragnar, descend," he called casually, glancing up at the sky.
Above, a colossal dragon beat its wings slowly. Its body shimmered faintly, blending with the sky itself. For the past two days, Dragnar had been maintaining the spatial manifestation zone—an immense task requiring complete focus and absolute control over the surrounding law essence.
Upon hearing Lein's call, Dragnar ceased its spatial stabilizing efforts. Instantly, the nearby law essence stirred wildly, like murky water suddenly agitated, then was drawn back into an invisible vortex.
With a single smooth motion, the dragon descended from the sky and landed before Lein. The ground didn't shake in the slightest—such was the creature's precise control over its immense power.
"Thank you," Lein said sincerely, meeting Dragnar's gaze without hiding his respect.
Dragnar gave a small nod. "It's nothing, Master," he replied simply, his voice deep and calm, carrying the weight of timeless loyalty.
Lein didn't waste another moment. He raised one hand, gripping a thin, silvery-blue scroll—a long-distance teleportation scroll he had prepared in advance.
In the blink of an eye, a circle of light enveloped their bodies. The surrounding space warped like glass being forcefully bent. A second later, Lein and Dragnar vanished from Zone 43—without a sound, without a trace.