"So, what should we do now?" said Aria, crossing her arms and sitting on the table.

Her eyes were sharp, scanning everyone in the room.

She shifted slightly, making the wooden table creak under her weight.

"I mean," she continued, her voice softening a little,

"we can't just wait here while everything burns outside."

I leaned against the doorframe, my arms crossed.

The room felt tense, like it was holding its breath.

"Lucy is fighting the supreme empress out there,"

I said slowly, making sure they heard every word, "and Leviathan is nowhere to see."

Their faces tightened at that.

It was the truth, and the weight of it pressed down on all of us.

I took a slow step into the room.

Letting my eyes move from Maria to Aria, then back to the others.

"We could try to kidnap both the king and the queen," I said.

My voice was calm but firm, "and make them surrender."

The words hung in the air.

There was a pause.

A heavy, thoughtful pause.

Then I added, "Or… an even better plan."

Maria raised an eyebrow at me.

"A better plan?" she asked, her tone laced with doubt.

I nodded, slowly.

I walked to the table, each step echoing softly in the room.

I took a seat across from them, letting the claw of my hand tap against the surface.

The sound was sharp, precise, like a clock ticking.

"Maria…" I began, my voice low, "you said you could trap people in that jewel like you did to yourself."

The tapping stopped.

The fell room silent except for the faint hum of distant battle outside.

"We could trap that supreme empress there."

Their eyes widened slightly.

The idea was dangerous.

But it was possible.

"We use the chance of Lucy fighting her," I continued, "and we trap her inside."

All the girls stopped and stared at me.

Their silence was almost deafening.

"But…"

I let the word hang.

The tension in the room thickened.

Their eyes all shifted toward me.

"But?" Maria asked, her voice cautious now, sharp.

I leaned slightly forward, letting my shadow fall across the table.

"Leviathan wouldn't stand still and watch that," I said finally.

I paused, letting the truth settle on them.

"So I will fight her," I added, my voice stronger now, "and buy time for you."

The room felt smaller suddenly.

"I doubt anyone besides Leviathan would be a problem to you," I finished.

Aria nodded.

It was a slow, deliberate nod.

One that showed understanding.

And just then, a booming shockwave swept through the ground.

The table rattled violently beneath us.

The ceiling shook, dropping dust and small stones.

The girls jumped back instinctively, their eyes wide.

"What's just happened!" they shouted, all at once.

The noise outside grew louder, almost unbearable.

We moved quickly toward the exit, our steps hurried.

The air outside hit us, thick and charged with energy.

The sky was split violently between violet and green lightning.

It looked as if the world itself was tearing apart.

Lucy hovered in the sky, having the high ground.

And looking down at the supreme empress below.

Each movement they made caused loud thunderclaps.

The ground trembled beneath our feet with every strike.

I shouted, "Guys, this is our chance. We need to do it now."

The wind howled as if echoing my words.

But before I could finish, Tiamat's voice cut through the chaos.

"Finally found you, Ragnar!"

Her shout hit me like a hammer.

My face darkened immediately.

I didn't hesitate.

I ran toward her, feeling the ground shake beneath me with each step.

"Maria," I shouted, my voice carrying over the roar of battle,

"you trap the supreme empress in the jewel. I will go and buy time for you."

I leaped, my claws extended, ready to meet Leviathan head-on.

The moment we clashed, a huge shockwave erupted.

It knocked dust into the air, making it hard to see.

The force rattled my bones.

I felt the impact in every fiber of my body.

Leviathan's strength was immense.

But I held my ground.

Every movement we made sent shockwaves across the area.

The air itself seemed to ripple around us.

The girls watched from behind, tense and alert.

I could hear Maria muttering under her breath, preparing the jewel.

Every second mattered.

Every strike we exchanged was a countdown.

I dodged a massive swipe, feeling it graze my arm.

Pain shot through me, sharp and biting.

But I ignored it.

I had to keep fighting.

Meanwhile, a vortex of colours surrounded Maria.

It kept swirling around her like a living storm.

The jewel in her hand seemed to float.

It kept glowing brighter with every second.

And casting light across the darkened sky.

She was chanting something in different languages.

Her voice rising and falling, urgent and melodic at the same time.

Each word seemed to ripple through the air.

It kept twisting the colours into shapes that almost felt alive.

I could see her eyes shining with focus.

And her hair whipped around in the wind created by the vortex.

The moment she finished the chants, a strange silence fell.

The air felt heavy, and even the clouds seemed to pause in midair.

The world froze. Leaves stopped mid-fall.

Birds hung motionless in the sky.

The jewel in Maria's hand pulsed once.

Like a heartbeat, and then the impossible happened.

The supreme empress's body was drawn into the jewel.

As if it were nothing but mist.

She disappeared from sight entirely.

Only leaving only a faint shimmer behind.

I stepped back, my heart hammering.

And unable to tear my eyes away. Seeing that, my face lit up.

I couldn't hide it. I muttered, almost to myself,

"Finally."

The word tasted sweet on my tongue.

A mixture of relief and disbelief.

Finally, after all the struggle.

It seemed like the impossible had happened.

Maria's hands trembled slightly.

And the jewel glowed softly.

It was a steady light.

Like it had settled into a new rhythm.

But then, something strange happened.

A crack appeared along the surface of the jewel.

It was slow at first, almost delicate.

But…then it widened, splitting the glowing gem.

Sparks of colour shot outward.

And I instinctively shielded my eyes.

My heartbeat jumped into my throat.

The supreme empress's frame began to reappear, slowly.

As if being pulled out of another dimension.

She rose from the fractured jewel.

Her eyes scan the scene below with a chilling calm.

Her hair floated as if underwater.

And her robes seemed to ripple without wind.

We all froze, unsure if we should move or speak.

The empress looked down at us.

Her expression is unreadable but heavy with power.

Maria held the cracked jewel tightly.

Her knuckles white, but she didn't let go.

We were caught between awe and fear.

Watching a being who had just been trapped in a jewel.

Is now standing fully alive before us.

The air buzzed with energy.

A mix of colours, chants, and tension.

As the supreme empress regarded us all.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.