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Seraphina, Saber, and the royal guards exited the towering Council’s Hall, stepping onto the bustling streets of the Main District. Saber laughed, his deep voice carrying an air of amusement. “You’re one lucky person, Seraphina,” he said. “No one who has entered the Council’s Hall with a request has ever avoided being judged. It’s law—good or bad, judgment must always be passed.”
Seraphina chuckled, her expression light yet confident. “I wasn’t worried for a moment,” she replied, lifting Elder Aeliana’s cage slightly as she spoke. “I knew my intentions were pure all along. Besides…” she smirked slyly, “I leveraged The Judge.”
Saber’s brow furrowed, and he raised an eyebrow. “Leverage? What do you mean?”
Seraphina stopped walking and turned to face Saber and his guards. “It’s simple. The Judge is under a pact or spell—one that doesn’t allow him to communicate in any form. I used that to my advantage.”
Her statement earned confused looks from everyone around her. Saber motioned for her to continue, and she obliged. “When I made my guess about why he hasn’t spoken in 400 years, The Judge had two options: judge me and confirm my intentions through the scales, or lower the scales, acknowledging that my intentions were already clear to him.”
She smiled triumphantly. “By lowering the scales, The Judge inadvertently confirmed my theory without even realizing it. If I had been wrong, he wouldn’t have hesitated to cast judgment.”
The group stared at her in stunned silence. Saber's jaw dropped slightly, and his royal guards exchanged wide-eyed glances. After a long moment, Saber finally spoke. “You truly are amazing, Queen of the Azure Universe.”
Seraphina laughed, brushing a strand of hair from her face. “I didn’t become a Queen for nothing.”
Saber grinned and shifted the conversation. “So, how will you get word to the Five Universes about the tournament?”
Seraphina reached into her cloak, revealing a small, glowing sigil. “I’ll send a message with my Demonic Phoenix. It’ll deliver it to Fort Vigilance, one of our bases.”
Saber nodded in understanding, but before he could respond, a piercing siren echoed across the Main District. The streets erupted into chaos as a voice boomed through magical loudspeakers.
“Intruder alert! Intruder alert! All mages report to the West Wing of the district. All mages report to the West Wing. Intruder alert!”
A hologram flickered to life in front of Saber, displaying the stern face of Elder Astris Caldean. “Saber,” she said urgently, “we’ve detected three incredibly powerful mages in the West Wing.”
Saber frowned. “Who are they?”
Elder Astris shook her head. “We don’t know. Their magical signatures are completely foreign—”
A deafening explosion cut off her words, the hologram fizzling out as smoke and tremors rippled through the city. Saber’s eyes widened. “That came from the Council’s Hall. We have to—”
Before he could finish, a hulking figure descended from the sky, landing with an land-shaking thud directly in front of the group. Smoke billowed around the massive individual as his towering form became visible.
Malgron the Obsidian Titan emerged, his obsidian-plated body shimmering with faint crimson veins that pulsed with a terrifying energy. Standing over ten feet tall, his imposing figure radiated menace. His sharp eyes locked onto Saber, and his deep voice rumbled like grinding stone.
“We’ve been waiting for this, Saber.”
Saber tensed, his muscles coiling as he assessed the intruder. “Who are you?” he demanded.
Malgron smirked cruelly but offered no response. Instead, he lunged forward with astonishing speed, his massive fist hurtling toward Saber with the force of a falling mountain.
Saber reacted instantly, forming his hands into a circle—thumbs and index fingers touching. “Unlimited Reflection!” he shouted, standing perfectly still as Malgron’s punch connected.
A blinding force erupted as the attack was deflected, sending Malgron flying backward. He landed with a thunderous crash but quickly rose to his feet, his jagged staff glowing faintly. Before Saber could catch his breath, Seraphina was already beside Malgron, her fist encased in roaring flames.
“Flames of Eternal Damnation!” she roared, her strike connecting with Malgron’s chest. The sheer force of the blow sent him crashing through a nearby building, debris raining down in a cloud of dust and smoke.
Saber stared in disbelief. He thought to himself, Her speed… her strength… The sight of her effortless precision left him momentarily awestruck.
Seraphina began walking toward the rubble where Malgron had landed, her voice dripping with disdain. “How rude of you to appear before a Queen without offering proper respect.”
From within the wreckage, Malgron’s laughter echoed, low and menacing. He emerged unscathed, crimson veins glowing brighter. “Impressive,” he rumbled, his voice carrying an edge of mockery. “It’s been a while since I’ve felt such strength.”
Seraphina’s punch had barely scratched him. Malgron’s Obsidian Aegis was already at work. The molten obsidian coating his body absorbed and reduced the damage by 80%, the stored energy pulsing through the veins crisscrossing his form.
With a thunderous leap, Malgron landed back on the street, creating a small crater beneath him. Seraphina narrowed her eyes. “Shall we take this outside the Main District? I’d rather not destroy this place.”
Malgron grinned cruelly. “You won’t have a choice.” He unleashed the second phase of Obsidian Aegis, releasing the stored energy in a devastating shockwave of molten energy that tore through a 50-meter radius.
“Get back!” Saber shouted, activating Unlimited Reflection once more. The shockwave reverberated off his barrier and shot back toward Malgron, engulfing him in his own destructive force.
As the smoke cleared, Saber turned to Seraphina. “Check the Council’s Hall,” he said firmly. “Find out what’s happening there. My guards and I will hold him off.”
Seraphina hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Don’t die,” she said simply before leaping onto a nearby building with blinding agility.
Malgron emerged from the smoke, his crimson veins glowing brighter than ever. His deep laughter sent shivers down the spines of Saber’s guards.
“This is going to be fun,” Malgron growled, readying himself for another round.21Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqHWYnve7wd
