Once again, silence engulfed the ruins of this desolate battlefield.
It was as if Orphelia's words had corroded everything around her, leaving only lifeless stillness in their wake.
Her voice did not merely taint the atmosphere— it gnawed away at her own heart as well.
------『Destiny』.
Because of that single word, the girl standing before him had abandoned everything, surrendering herself to the currents of fate.
Fang Li suddenly grasped the meaning behind Sylvia's words.
Sylvia had mentioned that, for some inexplicable reason, this "Ereshkigal " would only submit to the "Tyrant."
Yet, it was not mere obedience— it was a complete and utter surrender of will, a numbing acceptance of orders without resistance.
In that case, whether the one issuing commands was Dirk or not was irrelevant.
To Orphelia, Dirk was nothing more than a vessel of fate.
"Heh…"
A sudden chuckle escaped Fang Li's lips. Orphelia's sorrowful gaze wavered for a moment as she turned toward him.
Her eyes still reflected deep melancholy. Her voice still carried the weight of heartache.
Yet now, a single question lingered in her heart.
"Do you find this amusing?"
There was a faint trace of emotion in her words.
Under her gaze, Fang Li met her eyes directly.
"No one can break it?" His voice was maddeningly calm. "If you're saying that you can't break it, then that's one thing. But to claim that no one can?"
Now, there was a sharp edge of mockery in his tone.
"If you've given up, that's your decision. If you truly believe you're powerless against fate, that's also your concern. But don't assume that everyone else shares your limits."
"Your own weakness doesn't define the potential of others, does it?"
------『Ereshkigal 』.
Fang Li's words finally caused Orphelia's delicate brows to twitch ever so slightly.
For the first time, a flicker of emotion stirred within her heart as Orphelia slowly closed her eyes.
"…So, you believe you can shatter this so-called fate?"
Her voice, for the first time, was devoid of sorrow. It was flat. Emotionless.
"Then prove it."
She lifted a hand, resting it gently against the school emblem on her chest.
"My fate is tied to this emblem. If you can break it…"
Orphelia's eyes opened once more.
"Then show me."
The moment those words fell—
"Boom——!"
A thunderous explosion erupted as an overwhelming surge of Prana burst forth from Orphelia's body.
A storm of starlight-like embers ignited around her, spreading like a raging inferno, devouring everything in their path with the force of a tidal wave.
"Buzz…"
Under the sheer weight of her Prana, the air itself trembled. Even the natural flow of Mana in the atmosphere was thrown into disarray, swirling chaotically.
It was an unfathomably terrifying force— one that shook the very foundations of the ruins.
Fang Li's eyes glinted with understanding.
"I see… so you 'do' have some power."
Based solely on this overwhelming Prana, the Strega before him could indeed be called the strongest.
Even Fan Xinglou couldn't rival this sheer volume of Prana.
This meant that, if converted into defensive strength, Orphelia would have the strongest defense.
If transformed into raw power, she would unleash the strongest attacks.
If channeled into explosive force, she would create the most devastating impacts.
And if used to enhance her physical abilities, she would achieve the highest level of reinforcement.
This was the essence of the strongest Strega.
Unmatched in the "Phantom Festa."
"Unfortunately…"
Fang Li observed it clearly.
Despite the sheer might of her Prana, her control over it was… lacking.
It was similar to how he had been in his early days as a Genestellar.
If Fan Xinglou were here, she would no doubt say—
"It's like a newborn flailing its limbs."
With that thought, a change began to take place within Fang Li's body.
Prana, like countless stars bursting into existence, ignited within him.
And then—
"Boom——!"
Another explosion occurred in the surrounding space.
A surge of Prana erupted from Fang Li's body like a tidal wave.
If Orphelia's Prana was a violent storm, then Fang Li's was a controlled cyclone.
Hers was wild and unrestrained.
His was structured and precise.
Though his quantity couldn't rival hers, it refused to be overwhelmed.
Even as the chaotic force around them threatened to swallow everything, Fang Li's Prana stood firm— unyielding, solid.
For a brief moment, he managed to hold back the raging tempest.
Orphelia's gaze flickered, if only for an instant.
But she quickly regained her composure.
"…Is that all?"
It was almost as if she were talking to herself. Then, she slowly extended her hand.
"My fate is not so fragile that it can be shattered by something like this."
As she spoke, her raging Prana stirred the ambient Mana, causing it to swirl even more chaotically.
And then—
Countless arms began to materialize around Orphelia.
They were composed entirely of toxic mist, an eerie amalgamation of Mana and corrosive energy. Twisting and writhing like tortured wraiths, they moved with an eerie, malevolent intent.
Towering and grotesque, these arms clawed at the air, reaching for the heavens as if seeking to rend reality itself.
The atmosphere decayed.
The ground corroded.
The ruins collapsed.
The very darkness was devoured.
All who bore witness to this scene could see it— those monstrous, miasma-born hands stretching toward the sky, shaking both earth and air.
"What… what is that?!"
"Impossible…!"
Fear gripped the onlookers.
And then, like a thick, suffocating wave, the countless arms came crashing down.
"BOOM——!"
The impact was cataclysmic.
Like a tidal wave of destruction, the shockwave swept across the ruins, reducing what remained to dust.
It was as though the world itself was trembling.
(End Of This Chapter)
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