Lucy's legs buckled beneath her as an overwhelming pressure bore down on her. The power radiating from the goddess was suffocating—so immense that Lucy couldn't even muster the strength to resist. Her body trembled violently, and before she realized what was happening, she had fallen to her knees, her head bowed low in submission. The once mighty warrior, now helpless and quivering, was reduced to nothing more than a cowering figure before this divine being.

She could barely breathe, her body refusing to obey her commands. Every fiber of her being screamed in protest, but she couldn't fight it. The weight of the goddess's presence alone had broken her will. Lucy's hands clenched into fists, her knuckles white as she fought the primal urge to flee, yet her body remained frozen in place, paralyzed by fear and awe.

The goddess tilted her head slightly, her smile widening as she gazed down at Lucy, as though she were a predator toying with prey. "So fragile," the goddess whispered, her voice soft and lilting, yet dripping with malice.

Lucy shuddered, unable to speak, unable to even think clearly in the presence of such raw, terrifying power. Every inch of her body quaked as the goddess watched her, clearly reveling in her helplessness.

"I'm sorry, but… you can't die just yet, sweetie."

Lucy snapped her eyes open, her breath ragged, heart racing. For a moment, everything was a blur—the lingering sensation of suffocating power, the weight of the goddess's presence still hanging over her. But as her vision cleared, she found herself standing over the lifeless form of Kergezkat. His wings, once made of pure moonlight and sunlight, lay crumpled beneath him, their light dimming as his body lay motionless in the massive crater that marked the end of their battle.

Before Lucy could fully process what had happened, Kergezkat's body began to glow. A brilliant pillar of light shot from his corpse, encircled by swirling runes that danced around the column like ancient, enchanted scripts. The runes spiraled upwards, their motion increasing in speed as they pierced through the thick clouds above, illuminating the dark sky. The light itself was so pure, so intense, that it seemed to pierce the heavens, casting a radiant glow across the land.

Lucy's gaze followed the pillar up into the night sky, where it shone like a beacon, cutting through the gloom. Then, without warning, four other pillars of light erupted from distant points across the landscape, shooting skyward with the same intensity. The beams of light created a celestial pattern, connecting in a way that made Lucy's heart sink with a foreboding realization.

The other Braves.

She felt it deep in her bones—those lights belonged to them. But what did this mean? Were they dead? Was she the only one left? The uncertainty gnawed at her, but before she could dwell on it, something else grabbed her attention.

A light tap on her shoulder.

Instinct kicked in. Lucy whipped her head around, eyes blazing with raw power, and without a second thought, summoned an icy longsword in her hand. The blade, pure and glistening, swung through the air with lethal precision, aimed directly for the head of the one who had dared to touch her. Her swing was fueled by reflex and fury, the icy edge crackling with power as it connected with the neck of the figure behind her.

But instead of feeling resistance, the blade shattered.

The sound of ice breaking reverberated through the crater as millions of frozen shards scattered in all directions, glinting in the light of the pillars around them. Lucy's eyes widened in shock, her breath catching in her throat. How? Who could withstand her strike so effortlessly?

She took a step back, her gaze locking onto the figure before her, and her blood ran cold.

It was her—the goddess.

The towering figure stood over Lucy, easily nine feet tall, her presence overwhelming yet eerily calm. Her onyx black eyes, just as soul-piercing as before, didn't even acknowledge the attack. Her long black hair flowed in the wind like a dark river, and her massive wings, still as immense and imposing as Lucy remembered, remained folded behind her. Her pale, flawless skin seemed to shimmer in the glow of the surrounding light pillars, and the skimpy black dress she wore clung to her figure in the same terrifyingly beautiful way as before.

But it was her indifference that struck Lucy the most.

The goddess didn't even glance at her. Her gaze was directed upwards, her eyes fixed on the sky as if Lucy's attempt to kill her had been nothing more than a mild inconvenience. She didn't flinch, didn't react—her attention focused solely on the light that pierced the heavens, as though it were far more important than anything Lucy could do.

Lucy, still reeling from the shock of the shattered sword and the overwhelming presence of the goddess, felt the tension rise within her. She wanted to act, to move, to fight—but in that moment, faced with the sheer power standing before her, all she could do was stare. The goddess's calm, her cold disinterest, made Lucy feel small, and insignificant, even though she had just bested an angelic being of immense power.

The wind howled through the crater, and the pillars of light shone brightly into the sky as the goddess stood silently, her dark eyes gleaming with a piece of hidden, terrifying knowledge.

"What is happening?" Lucy asked, looking up at the woman who refused to say anything. However, after about a minute of watching the light, it disappeared completely, Kergezkat's body nothing but a pile of dust, swiftly whisked away by the wind.

"They're coming. Tell your friends to get out of here unless they don't want to achieve an afterlife or reincarnation," The woman said, her very revealing dress slowly forming a black body suit under it that gripped her curves but seemed to have a defensive so strong, nothing in this world could even scratch it.

"Who's coming?!" Lucy quickly asked.

The goddess's eyes finally shifted, sweeping toward Lucy with a terrifying slowness. Her right pupil pulsed with a vivid red X, while her left held a glowing red O, both symbols radiating with an ominous energy that chilled Lucy to the bone. The contrast between the calmness of the goddess's gaze and the primordial, twisted grin that now spread across her face was enough to send a surge of instinctual terror through Lucy's entire body. It was as if something ancient and incomprehensible had peered into the depths of her soul, unraveling her very being with a single look.

Lucy's breath hitched, and without a second thought or further questions, she fled.

She ran through the crater, her feet barely touching the ground as she desperately distanced herself from the monstrous presence behind her. The cold air whipped against her skin as she bolted, her mind racing as fast as her legs. Her heart pounded in her chest, fear driving her every step until she finally spotted Mia in the distance.

"Lucy! What happened to you? You're not even injured!" Mia called out, her voice tinged with concern as she ran to meet her. But there was no time to explain.

"Forget it! What's our current situation?" Lucy demanded, her voice tight with urgency.

Mia quickly fell into stride with her, her expression shifting to one of grim seriousness. "All the other leaders of Tolf have already fled to the edge of the country. We're the last ones left here."

Lucy's mind raced. The threat of the goddess, the words she had spoken—it was too dangerous to remain here. "We need to get back to our respective countries. Now."

"But what about the troops?" Mia asked, her voice hesitant. Lucy shot her a stern glance.

"They come too. We're not leaving them behind." There was no room for argument. Lucy wasn't going to abandon those who had fought alongside them.

Mia nodded, though some of the other leaders had already suggested abandoning the troops in light of the terrifying presence that seemed to shake the world itself. But the decision was made by a majority vote—they would evacuate everyone.

Immediately, they began hopping into the various airborne aircraft that had brought them here. Lucy and Mia moved with purpose, their minds set on getting their people out of this hellish place. But Mia, her mana reserves severely drained from the earlier battle, couldn't summon her phoenix for a faster escape. They didn't have the luxury of time to wait, so they boarded one of the aircraft and sped toward the edge of the country.

Minutes felt like hours as the two pushed the aircraft to its limits, arriving at the rendezvous point where the rest of the leaders and troops were already gathered. The final aircraft was ready to take off, waiting only for Lucy and Mia.

Just as they boarded the last plane and strapped in, a sudden, overwhelming chill shot down both of their spines. The air in the cabin shifted, becoming thick and heavy with an oppressive, invisible force. Without warning, every single person aboard—aside from Lucy and Mia—slumped over, unconscious.

Lucy's vision blurred for a moment, her eyelids fluttering as she fought the strange force trying to pull her into darkness. Beside her, Mia was struggling as well, her breathing heavy and labored. Even though the aircraft was unmanned, the relentless pressure threatened to sap the sanity of everyone aboard.

But they kept their focus. They had to escape.

As the aircraft ascended into the sky, Lucy and Mia exchanged a brief glance, relief flooding through them as they gained distance from the cursed land. But something still gnawed at them, an instinctual dread that hadn't yet left their bones.

Turning to the rear of the plane, Lucy gazed through the massive, gaping window. What she saw sent a shudder of disbelief down her spine.

A massive explosion, unlike anything she had ever seen, erupted from the ground far below. It was blinding, the light so intense that it seemed nuclear in scale. A monstrous shockwave followed, barreling toward them with ferocious speed.

The aircraft rumbled violently, the aftershock rattling the cabin and sending a powerful tremor through the entire vessel. But thankfully, they had already flown far enough away. Though the aircraft was buffeted by the explosion's fury, it held steady, escaping the worst of the damage.

Lucy exhaled, her breath shaky. They had survived. For now.

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