Realm of Myths and Legends

Despite Celebrexa piercing Solomon's chest with her hand, there were no signs of blood or a visible wound. Instead, a layer of white energy flowed out from Solomon and coated Celebrexa's arm as if it were being channeled directly into her.

A few seconds later, the flow of energy came to a halt as Celebrexa had a look of satisfaction on her face.

"Thank you for the delicious meal~." Celebrexa chimed as she placed the palm of her hand against the spatial barrier.

"Ha!" Celebrexa released a reverberating shout as she shoved her hand forward and into the barrier. The next moment, multiple cracks and fractures could be seen in various sections of the surrounding space. These areas were the main currents that mana traveled through within the spatial barrier, and by attacking every location simultaneously, Celebrexa was able to shatter the spatial barrier effortlessly!

The spatial barrier swiftly collapsed; however, there was still an abundance of interference in the atmosphere that made it somewhat tricky for Solomon to pinpoint Dolos' position. But, thanks to his Great Blazing Azure Bird, he managed to pick up Dolos' approximate location.

As Solomon hurried onward, Celebrexa followed after him and said, "My earlier offer still stands, Solomon. 120--if you give it to me, I can deal with that creature for you."

"As I said before, you are too unreasonable. After all, it was you who took half of my time in this world in exchange for a contract." Solomon replied calmly without slowing his pace.

"What's this? Are you still holding a grudge from that time?~" Celebrexa smirked as she hovered leisurely above Solomon.

"No, in fact, I am grateful. Back then, I was young, naive, and full of confidence in my ability. I believed myself to have no equal under the heavens--a fool's belief. If you had not appeared on that day, I would have already perished from this world. In that sense, I owe my life to you. However, there are still things in this world that I must do--that only I can do. Until then, I cannot proceed in a short-sighted manner." Solomon responded.

"..." Celebrexa stayed silent for several seconds. The smirk on her face had vanished, and soon, it was replaced by an expression of ecstasy.

She then said with a cloudy gaze, "Ah, it's not fair... Not fair at all, Solomon... If you speak like that, then... I'll really end up completely falling for you~."

...

Several moments ago...

"This is... An isolated pocket of space?" Aurie said to herself as she examined her new environment.

"You're close, Commander; however, it is something much more. But, you will not be here for long." Dolos' voice echoed from every direction. At the same time, dozens of spatial vortexes opened throughout the area.

Aurie narrowed her eyes and said coldly, "Dolos Jestal, do you realize what you're doing? Do you truly think those two sides will ever accept a human as their equal? In the end, you will be nothing more than a servant that bends to their every will. And for what? A temporary boost in power? Is this the fate you have chosen for yourself?"

"You--no, the entire Mortal Realm is fighting a losing battle. Everyone worries about territory, resources, wealth, power, and influence, but it is meaningless in the end. Mortal Realm? What is that worth? In the grand scheme of things, it is but a drop in a vast ocean." Dolos stated.

"Coward. All that sounds like to me is giving up before the fight even starts. Perhaps it is suitable that a man like you has fallen so far away from their own humanity." Aurie responded as she brandished the tonfa in her hands.

"Call me what you will, Commander. But, the truth remains the same. Though I should warn you, stalling for time will do you no good. It will not change the inevitable outcome." Dolos said. Immediately after those words left his mouth, ten javelins appeared. These javelins were constructed by overlapping space and using one's mana to give birth to a physical form.

"Spatial Tempus Magic: Corpse Crown."

Woosh! Woosh!

The javelins rotated above Aurie uniformly in a way that closely resembled a crown. Then, in a flash, the javelins fired towards her with a fearsome force contained within their tips.

Aurie slid her left foot back and kicked off it as she shot forward while the javelins grew near.

Bang!

Aurie charged at the closest javelin and smashed her tonfa coated in pinkish golden energy into it.

Boom!

Upon coming into contact with her tonfa, the javelin exploded, releasing a powerful shockwave in the process. Fortunately, Aurie reacted fast enough and repositioned her other tonfa to form a makeshift shield of energy in front of her to absorb the blow.

However, she was not out of danger just yet. One after the other, the remaining javelins crashed down, and whenever Aurie changed her sprinting direction, the javelins adjusted their course to match as if they had locked onto her presence.

"Did you think we had no idea what you and that General were up to? There are not many people who know your secret, Commander. However, I happen to have stumbled upon that privilege." Dolos' voice sounded as Aurie continued to evade and counter the javelins.

"The half-human half-spirit child. Your mother, who was a spirit, fell in love with your father, a human. Although it is frowned upon for spirits to form such worldly attachments to humans and humans to spirits, there still exist those who tread that line freely. After all, it is an unwritten rule, not an absolute law. But, your situation is different, isn't it, Commander?"

Aurie did not allow Dolos' words to break her concentration as she sent out a wave of golden energy that collided with the eighth javelin, causing it to explode. Right now, she was focused on pinpointing where Dolos was hiding.

"Why is it that you are the sole half-human half-spirit that is capable of utilizing the unique domain of the spirit race? Luck? No, the answer is something much more glaring. Your mother was not just any spirit, she was-"

Swoosh!

Dolos, who was hiding in a separate pocket of space, felt something sharp brush past his cheek as a wound appeared on his face. An expression of disbelief surfaced when he noticed that he had been hit!

"I have no interest in the words of a coward. Nor do I require a history lesson from you regarding my life. I can see that you are a lost cause, Dolos Jestal. I thought there might be a spark of humanity left in you somewhere that could see the error of your ways. However, you have fallen too far into the abyss to be saved." Aurie declared calmly.

Aurie succeeded in avoiding the javelins. Not only that, but she also managed to lock onto the area Dolos was hiding and even launched an attack!

"Who is it that's really stalling for time? You've been very talkative for someone who stated earlier that they did not want to waste words. The damage you received from Captain Izroth must have exceeded your expectations. Your casting has become less refined and more chaotic, Dolos. In your current state, you are nothing more than a barking dog licking his wounds." The pinkish-golden aura around Aurie suddenly increased threefold!

Dolos' expression darkened as he thought back to his arm being severed by that Captain of the GSU. He wanted to tear that insolent whelp limb from limb; however, Dolos knew he had to keep his priorities in check. Not to mention that Captain seemed to possess skills that were a natural counter to his Spatial Tempus magic. Therefore, Dolos understood that he had to make sure they were removed from the picture if he wanted to deal with Aurie. However, he did not expect Aurie to catch on to his wounded state so quickly.

When Dolos looked over at his shoulder where his arm had been severed, he noticed that although the wound closed, there were still no signs of it regenerating.

"Why isn't it healing? That impudent...! Once I finish here, I will make certain he has a fitting end." Dolos thought to himself. While he was not a member of the Shadahi race, the transformation granted him a good portion of their legendary regeneration ability. So then, why had he not healed from that brat's attack yet?

Crrrrck...

All of a sudden, unbeknownst to Dolos, the space behind him began to split open silently.