The Final Desperation

Even in history, Igora's birth was a difficult one. Her mother suffered numerous complications during the process and nearly passed away. Yet in exchange, Igora was blessed with extraordinary powers that had long been nurtured in the womb.

However, that did little to improve her family's situation. Shortly after her birth, her mother was persecuted by the townspeople and hanged. Her father had already died before then, leaving her an orphan just three months after entering this world.

That was when her powers first manifested. In an act of self-preservation, she instinctively condensed her mother's lingering resentment and resurrected her as a vengeful spirit. True to its nature, the spirit took revenge on the townspeople and reduced it to a ghost town.

Afterward, it carried Igora away from that forsaken place and raised her in seclusion, guided by the remnants of its maternal instincts. Igora grew up like any other girl and blissfully enjoyed her childhood years.

However, all of this changed one day when her mother's resentment faded. She had accomplished everything she wanted in life and was ready to move on.

Igora was saddened by the spirit's departure, but she eventually pulled herself together and began traveling in search of a new goal. After a decade of wandering, she came to realize the extent of the people's suffering and swore to change it—to create a future that everyone could live in.

She dedicated the next 20 years of her life to this goal. During that time, she transformed from a lone, innocent girl into the queen of an expanding nation. Her powers and techniques grew alongside her, ushering in one victory after the other. Rumors of an undefeated Goddess of War spread across the lands, attracting countless challengers like moths to a flame.

Many of these challengers, upon defeat, joined Igora as fellow companions fighting for a better future. They conquered many nations like this and expanded their territory at an astonishing rate.

But at the peak of their expansion, they encountered a rival nation comparable to their own. Together, they split the continent into two major regions, comprising the eastern and western empires.

Igora wanted to keep fighting and fully unify the world, but her followers couldn't understand her fixation. After so many years, they had finally achieved their goals. Why continue fighting and send more soldiers to the battlefield, especially for such a meaningless cause?

By this time, many factions had emerged within the empire, each centered around one of these major figures. Igora's followers were now responsible for more lives than ever before and had to consider each decision carefully, lest their people suffer major repercussions.

Igora didn't understand this and continued to push for war. Left with no choice, her followers reached an agreement with their rival to remove her from power. The Western Empire gladly agreed. Igora had caused them plenty of losses over the years, and they had long wanted to get rid of her.

However, the two empires underestimated Igora's powers. Because while her conquests had decreased in number, her strength had only grown. It could even be said that she deliberately held back during her battles to avoid unnecessary casualties.

But now, having been betrayed, she cast off her shackles and fully unleashed her fury, killing everyone who ambushed her - a total of 50,000 men.

In that moment, she realized how fragile her sense of peace truly was. All it took was a single rotten apple to spoil the fruits of her labor. Thus, she conceived a new model—one that would endure long after her time.

With her mind made up, she set out to correct her wrongs. First, she executed all the traitors involved. Then it was the rival nation's turn. Within a few days, both hegemonies had lost all their executive decision-makers.

Chaos ensued within their capitals, eventually leading to both empires dissolving into countless small countries. With no central figurehead to hold them together, the lower-ranking lords were left stranded and forced to fend for themselves.

However, Igora was no longer around to witness this scene. Instead, she had returned to her birthplace in preparation for her grand plan.

Many of the buildings had become quite eroded over the years. She spent several weeks refurbishing the town, restoring it to how she remembered it in her infancy. This just happened to be the time after her mother's massacre.

This act helped stabilize her mental state and gave her time to refine her plan. Since she couldn't trust the rulers to maintain peace, she would turn power over to the common people. Her system would be built on resentment, prioritizing those who had been wronged.

When it detected such a candidate, it would temporarily grant them a portion of its powers to help them resolve their grievances. Once finished, her powers would return to a central hub to await the next candidate.

That way, the ruling class couldn't wantonly abuse its authority. If they wanted to maintain their upscale lifestyle, they would have to do so through the people's support. It was not a perfect system, but it should resolve all the common problems she knew of. The rest would be left to the future generations to work out.

Now came the implementation. To achieve such a revolutionary system, she would have to pry open the world's inner workings and forcibly insert it into its rules. To use a modern analogy, she needed to hack into a game's source code and make permanent changes to its functions.

However, the world was considered a living being and wasn't keen on letting outside interference dictate its rules. To the world, her actions were akin to wiping out its consciousness and replacing it with her own. Thus, the world's will vehemently fought back when she initiated this battle.

Igora remained steadfast in her resolve and battled with all her might. After three long days of struggle, she finally managed to implant her system into the world's nucleus.

However, because she had not fully incapacitated the world's will, its resistance damaged many of her system's core features, such as power recycling after resolution and the distinction between victims. As a result, it defaulted to the most oppressed group at the time: abused women.

Igora quickly realized her mistake, but she was too injured to rectify it. Thus, she retreated from the world's inner sanctuary to heal her wounds and prepare for the next battle.

The world's will did not pursue her, as it had sustained heavy damage. Hence, the battle ended not with a victor, but two equally weakened hegemons.

When Igora emerged on the other side, she realized the area had become an apocalyptic wasteland. The aftershocks of their battle had spilled onto the surface world, devastating the land.

That was how the barren region around Salem was formed. The later generations came to know this event as the Great Cataclysm, an incident so major it was only superseded by the Great Migration, as described by Celine.

When Igora returned to Salem, she crafted a metallic coffin and excavated an underground bunker in the basement of her mother's former home.

Before slumbering, she split off four portions of her power and sealed them within corresponding inheritance altars. With these altars, anyone fortunate enough to find them could receive her blessings, on the condition that they become her anchors for her seal.

Many generations of guardians have come and gone during this time, but she remained immortal. And now, she stood before them, awakened before her destined time—she who had once brought the world to its knees, now ready to finish her crusade.

Standing at 3.2 meters tall, she exuded a regal dominance, amplified only by her pitch-black full-body armor and dragon-like spear. Her former resting place, her coffin, lay open behind her, having fulfilled its purpose.

She took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air for the first time in forever, before opening her eyes. The sky suddenly turned dark as the pressure acting on them increased substantially. Their knees nearly buckled under its weight as sweat drenched their bodies.

7156 immediately transformed into his devil form, smashed a bronze-rimmed magnifying glass against his arm, and held it out toward Igora. A split second later, a notification containing her information page appeared in everyone's view.

[High levels of Interference detected. Obtaining 40% of the target's information.]

[Igora, the Forsaken Revolutionary]

Health: 180,000/133,500

Destiny Force: 15,770/16,000

Con: 67 + (13) = 80

Str: 70 (+10) = 80

Dex: 72 (+8) = 80

Int: 80

Spc: 80

Skills:

- High-Lord (Passive): +50,000 Health

- Blessed by Fate (Status passive): 2x health and energy

- Armor of Tyrannacy (active/passive): Creates an armor that boosts all stats to match your intelligence stat when worn. Consumes (total stats boosted) x 10 points of energy per minute when active. Current rate: 310 points/minute.

- Source of Power (Passive): Regenerates 10 points of energy/second, aka 600/minute.

- Body of Steel (Passive): +16 defense. You can exert more force before growing tired.

- Spear Mastery (Supreme): Unstoppable Striking Intent unlocked.

- Arcane Mastery (Supreme): Increase the physical impact strength of all spells by 50%.

- Battlefield Awareness (Supreme): When fighting against multiple enemies, you can always lock onto their weakest link.

- Phase Step (Active): Teleport to any location within your perception. Can work across dimensions. Can not be disrupted. Disregards all spatial turbulations. Cooldown: 5 minutes.

- Domain Expansion - Silent Sky: ???

- Domain Expansion - Mountainous Grudge: ???

- Domain Expansion - Tenfold Gravity: ???

- Domain Expansion - Meteoric Impact: ???

- Domain Expansion - Designated Colosseum: ???

- [Ult] Sweeping Across the World, I Alone am Invincible (passive/active): ???

- [Ult] Lone Star in the Silent Sky (active): Ability has been lost with time.

- [???] Determination (38/80): Ability has been lost with time.

Note: Many smaller skills have been omitted.

It was a ridiculous status page. From her stats to her skills, everything indicated she was beyond extraordinary. For one, the domain expansions considered as ultimates by the high witches were merely upper-tier abilities for Igora.

It really makes one wonder just how powerful the ability listed as her true ultimate actually is. That's not to mention the two abilities lost to time, one of which didn't even display its category. Just from the order they are listed, it can be inferred that they are stronger than her first ultimate, especially the final skill that belongs in its own category.

However, they are not without hope. While her physical stats are oppressive, they are only achieved through her armor. If they can destroy it, they can level the playing field. Until then, they should avoid head-on confrontations whenever possible.

Plane Walker, activate!

Elemental Domain: Starry Night!

7156 and Stella simultaneously activated their legacy liberations. 7156's took the form of a grey energy shroud that emanated from his boots. As the energy wrapped around him, his figure grew transparent and flickered erratically, as if he could disappear at any moment.

In contrast, Stella's liberation originated from her starry earrings, which detached from her earlobes and expanded to cover the region. Countless specks of light appeared in the dark sky formed by Igora's domain, populating it with artificial stars. The starlight twinkled brightly against its shadowy backdrop and gathered by Stella's side, supercharging her talent.

Meanwhile, Genji's cloak began hovering in the still air, imparting his energy with a new level of intensity. A tumultuous vortex swirled around the barrel of his sniper, reaching unprecedented levels of deadliness.

Thanks to the distance he had, he could dedicate the full potential of his legacy liberation to this shot rather than reserving some power for defense. As the vortex threatened to lose control, his eyes widened to their limits, intent on capturing the ideal moment to pull the trigger.

A split second later, a flash of fire erupted from the muzzle, followed by a streak of crystal as the bullet tore through the air. An intense vibration shook the area, but there was no sound. The bullet was moving so fast that sound didn't have time to catch up to it, even at such close distances.

The bullet, wrapped in a devastating vortex, pierced Igora's domain like a needle through a balloon and immediately arrived beside her. However, Igora had already reacted before Genji even pulled the trigger, swirling her spear backward like a rising dragon. Upon collision, the bullet and the vortex shattered, followed shortly by a raging tempest as the impact of the clash finally took effect.

At this moment, 7156 stepped forward and arrived behind Igora with a downward slash. Without even looking back, Igora conjured a whitish sphere in her other hand and threw it at the ground. A massive impact wave covered in dust swept through 7156, intending to launch him away when his figure disappeared. The attack had only hit his afterimage.

Just then, 7156's blade descended on Igora's head from the right. Igora's eyes slightly swerved toward him, but 7156's impeccable timing left her no time to react.

Suddenly, a barrier appeared between them, delaying the attack just long enough for Igora to bring her spear upward. Another large impact shook the earth as Igora fended off the strike.

Then, out of nowhere, her surroundings erupted with a flood of elemental attacks. Igora quickly abandoned the parry and cartwheeled away. 7156 stepped forward and teleported beside her like a persistent piece of gum, refusing to give her even the slightest moment to gather her strength.

The spells followed her relentlessly, manifesting abruptly without any warning. This was the main ability of Starry Night, which allowed Stella to instantly cast any spell anywhere within her domain, in addition to constantly replenishing her mana. Essentially, her legacy liberation made her an undodgeable turret.

Igora quickly realized this and prepared to switch her strategy. Yet, as she was mid-transition, Jonas suddenly shouted a deluge of compliments at her, ruining her flawless streak. The spells landed along with 7156's fiery slash, forcing Igora to use more passive barriers to offset the damage.

At this moment, another vortex-infused bullet cut through the air. Her eyes flashed with a sharp gleam of light as another domain opened around them. The force pushing down on them spiked again, causing them to sink into the ground. This increased gravity also affected the bullet's trajectory, causing it to dip downward and fall short at her feet.

As the ground shattered beneath her, Igora appeared beside Stella, her spear drawn back, ready to skewer her. Stella's pupils dilated to the size of a pinpoint as her mind accelerated under the threat of death. The next moment, the spear reached her and pierced her skin. A splash of blood flew through the air right as she appeared 50 meters away.

She had barely escaped at the last moment, though not before losing a large chunk of flesh. Now, her entire left breast was gone, pulverized into bloody particles. She quickly splashed a potion on the wound and teleported again to safety.

Capitalizing on this moment of reprieve, Igora pivoted to a long-range fighting style comprised of wide sweeps of spear intent and impact waves powerful enough to tear them apart on contact.

7156 relied on his legacy liberation to disregard the effects of the increased gravity and rapidly flashed around Igora, hoping to create an opening. However, Igora's immense combat experience snuffed out any opportunities before they could arise.

They were at an impasse and were only falling deeper into a disadvantage with each passing moment.

Suddenly, Igora unleashed a massive impact wave, conjuring a large dust storm that obstructed Genji's sight. She had kept his firing rate in mind and taken preventative measures.

Yet before Genji could adjust his shot, his instincts flared to life. Without hesitation, he rolled aside and abandoned his rifle. The next instant, a spear stabbed through the chamber from above, shattering the precisely assembled firearm.

Genji sprang up to his feet, summoned his daggers, and spotted Igora standing at his previous position. In the short time she vanished from view, she had locked onto his position and teleported over with Phase Step.

The next moment, Igora's figure disappeared as her spear swept toward his chest. His instincts tried to pull him to safety, but his body was half a beat too slow. The tip of the spear grazed him, shattering the right half of his ribcage and dislodging bone fragments into his organs.

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Genji pushed past the pain and immediately activated Dance of Death. Two silhouettes ran to the side while the last one leapt off the hill they were on. Against an opponent of Igora's caliber, instantaneous movements were a must, even if they could only be used three times and at a high energy cost.

Igora swung her arm, unleashing a sharp impact wave that tore through the right silhouette. Her spear lashed out again, ramping up the offensive pressure to an unbearable degree.

Genji hurriedly swapped with his left silhouette and discharged four quick slashes, two from each hand. A white aura coated Igora's spear as she twirled it around her, effortlessly smashing his counterattacks like glass.

The white aura grew stronger as she suddenly blinked in front of him and brought down her weapon. But as Genji made his final swap, Igora's figure abruptly changed directions and zipped toward his new position. A trial of afterimages followed behind her like a phantom snake, briefly displaying her motion for a split moment before fading.

Genji was still falling through the air when she arrived above him and delivered a harsh kick. Genji hastily crossed his arms and activated Solid Core before an overwhelming force slammed into him.

Before he knew it, he was skipping across the ground, bouncing harder than a rubber ball. He corrected his posture and dug his feet into the earth, carving out long trenches that stretched for kilometers. When the force finally dissipated, his body was on the verge of collapse.

His arms hung limp at his sides, devoid of sensation, while his entire skeleton was riddled with fractures. All it would take was a single good hit, and he would be down for good.

Genji spat out a mouthful of organ paste and circulated his energy to realign the broken parts. Bruce assisted by pulling out the dislodged bone fragments and crushing a mutation potion over him. As Genji's body painfully reassembled itself, 7156 and Stella arrived at the scene. Genji had been kicked so hard that he was launched back to the main battlefield.

Genji crushed more gel potions to speed up his recovery and adjusted to his newly restructured body. The next moment, Igora crashed into the ground across from them like a meteor, carving out a large crater in the already devastated terrain. She was still wrapped in her trail of afterimages, indicating her erratic direction shifts were now a threat.

Genji warned his teammates about this ability and released his second liberation. His daggers gained an extra gleam, but it was subtle compared to everything else and could easily be mistaken for a less significant ability, not that they had time to notice.

Igora stood up and rushed toward them at an unimaginable speed, ready to deliver several harsh strikes. 7156 engaged her without hesitation while Genji supported from the side. However, unlike in their previous exchanges, Igora was able to easily keep up with them, even with Genji's added assistance.

Her spear twirled around erratically, defying all physical expectations and parrying anything that came her way. Not even Stella's unrelenting barrage could break through her defenses. If it weren't for 7156's seamless teleportation, they wouldn't even have the qualifications to continue fighting.

At this point, Igora's strikes didn't just defend the space around her but dominated it, establishing a miniature domain under her control. In her current state, even if the area were engulfed in a storm, there would be no doubt that she would carve out a dry dome and emerge untouched. The team was certain because Stella's spells were, in a way, denser than a storm.

Igora moved with the grace of a dancer and the valor of an undefeated champion, seemingly claiming full authority over everything happening around her. If left unchecked, she would soon overwhelm 7156 and claim victory.

Thus, Jonas was forced to intervene.

Yet when that happened, Igora was ready to catch him. It couldn't be helped - his abilities were that threatening. After enduring several rapid compliments, Igora flashed before him and unleashed a devastating stab.

7156 quickly teleported over and forcibly yanked Jonas aside, though the air pressure alone had already broken several of the boy's bones. Igora, having also anticipated this, immediately shifted her trajectory, puncturing and obliterating 7156's left shoulder as a complimentary prize.

A geyser of blood erupted from 7156's mouth as he warped away, leaving behind a severed arm midair. 7156 promptly threw Jonas off the battlefield and reengaged Igora. However, instead of entertaining him, she focused her attention on Jonas, directing multiple attacks his way. Right now, finishing off the jinx was her top priority.

Genji suddenly appeared beside Jonas, grabbed him, and weaved between the deadly impact waves. As he did so, he splashed multiple potions on the near-unconscious boy, pulling him back from the brink of death. Stella supported the rescue with a wall of spells, masking their presence with dense elemental energy.

A few moments later, Genji rejoined the battle, having hidden Jonas away in another safe spot. The boy was currently incapacitated, but he would eventually recover with time. Unfortunately, time was the one thing they lacked most in this fast-paced battle.

Genji gritted his teeth and braced himself for a risky gamble. Leaning forward, he assumed an irregular stance full of bestial flair—the very same style he had used against a certain high witch. He took a deep breath before bursting forward with unnatural frenzy, intentionally dislocating some crucial joints that would otherwise hinder his uncanny movements.

Genji hung low near the ground and moved with utmost intent, treating every step as if it were through a dense minefield. His muscles spasmed erratically under this unfamiliar motion, but he forcibly held everything under control and pushed onward.

Whenever Igora sent attacks his way, he would zip around them like a deadly snake before springing forward with the might of a tiger. Igora quickly took notice of his movements and redirected most of her attention toward him.

Genji soon entered Igora's striking range, prompting a deadly stab from her. He leaned aside and grabbed the spear, using the extended polearm to pull himself in. The spear quickly shifted into a crushing sweep, but Genji had already anticipated this and repositioned himself.

Suddenly, he twirled his body and made an unnatural dive, reaching a temporary blind spot. From there, he sprang upward and slashed at the neck with all his might, activating Titanic Empowerment at the last moment for maximum support.

Titanic Empowerment (Active): +7 Str, -50 hp/second, -2 Dex for 10 minutes.

His body erupted with billows of steam as his rapidly rising temperature evaporated all the sweat clinging to his skin. Yet, despite its immense power, the slash failed to reach its target. Just as the blade touched the skin, Igora and Stella suddenly vanished from the battlefield, having entered a new domain.

This domain, Designated Colosseum, was different from the others in that it only acted on a single opponent. Upon use, it would drag both parties into an isolated bubble for a one-on-one duel. Essentially, it allowed Igora to pick off an important target from a well-defended group.

Genji didn't know any of this, but that didn't stop him from trying to thwart her plans. As soon as he realized a new domain had taken over the region, he quickly pivoted and began charging his powers.

Large swathes of cutting intent, shadow flames, and immense physical strength gathered at the tip of his dagger, forming a tiny dot that distorted the surrounding space. Genji paused for a moment before launching his arm forward, shattering the domain.

Lightning Inspiration: Singularity Collapse!

The next moment, Stella was flung backward, bearing multiple deep wounds across her chest. Among these wounds was her other breast, leaving her as flat as a washing board.

Igora also appeared at this time and chased after Stella. 7156 intercepted her, and the tango began once more. This time, however, Igora fought with significantly less patience, unleashing several powerful moves in quick succession.

Genji joined in with his bestial imitations, but he couldn't hold on long against Igora's strength. The best he managed was momentarily distracting Igora, giving 7156 a small opening to strike.

Suddenly, Igora crossed her fingers with her free hand, and a mountain of bodies arose beneath her. An endless sea of resentment soared into the skies and overlapped with her dark sky domain, dimming the stars that empowered Stella.

Next came the increased gravity, followed by a large ruined coliseum around the boundaries of the region. Igora was no longer casting her domains one at a time, but stacking them. Combined, their forces elevated each other to new heights. Their bodies ground to a standstill as the weight of gravity multiplied once more, reaching 40 times the original force.

Yet amidst these transformations, a foreboding thought came to Genji. 'Why is it only 4 times higher? Doesn't she have 5 domains?'

Stella had the same thought, but she wasn't willing to wait around for Igora to give her the answer. With a flash of determination, she flicked her fingers upward and delivered a resolute command. The stars in the sky grew brighter as copious amounts of elemental energy surged toward them.

Once they reached their peak intensity, the stars vanished for a split second before an intense burst of light erupted from their original positions.

Domain Detonation: Burial of Stars!

Corresponding with these flashes of light were thunderous explosions that repeatedly hammered away at Igora's domains.

Genji and 7156 recognized what was happening and took the opportunity to prepare their next moves. Genji gathered more strength for another Singularity Collapse in case Igora's domain remained standing afterward, while 7156 exited his devil form entirely and summoned the projection of a hideous monster.

The monster was a massive amalgamation of flesh with a thousand eyes, 999 of which were attached to the ends of long tendrils that waved aimlessly through the air. The last eye was gigantic—about the size of an elephant—and took up half the volume of the central body.

The smaller eyes began absorbing the turbulent energy in the surroundings and funneling it toward the central eye. The outlines of the iris gradually lit up with a shade of pink light as an anxiety-inducing aura covered the battlefield.

Genji's heart leaped with trepidation, but he forced the feeling down and focused solely on himself. Eventually, the explosions died down, revealing a somewhat battered Igora. Without waiting to assess her condition, Genji immediately burst forward and unleashed his attack.

Igora hastily stabbed out with her spear, their weapon tips colliding in a forceful impact. Static electricity filled the void as they came to a standstill. Then, a crisp snap sounded around them as pitch-black fissures spread across the air, followed by Igora hurling backward.

Their surroundings shattered into countless pieces, revealing the bright, natural sunlight. Along with it came several large cracks in her armor, a product of her domain's backlash. At this moment, 7156's monster discharged a car-sized laser column at Igora, refusing to give her any time to catch her breath.

Igora wrapped her spear in a powerful spell in preparation to smash the beam when Jonas's obnoxious voice suddenly sounded in her ear. The boy had woken up just in time to use a voice transmission item as a conduit for his powers.

Irritated, Igora momentarily lost focus, causing her spell to inadvertently fail. Simultaneously, a massive thunderbolt struck the end of her weapon, dissipating all the force behind her swing. Then the faint buzz of plasma engulfed her, propelling her high into the sky.

Genji took this chance to administer a few more potions and check on his teammates. Jonas was conscious, but still bedridden. It was unlikely he would rejoin the battle anytime.

As for Stella and 7156, both were exhausted and running on fumes. The former had detonated her legacy liberation to protect them, prematurely ending its effects. Now, her legacy had returned to its original form, hanging dimly from her sweat-drenched face.

7156 wasn't faring any better, as he was approaching the end of his liberation's duration. Although short-lived, he had used the most physical strength of them all due to keeping Igora in check.

Then there was Genji himself—still physically strong but running low on energy. Each sniper shot he had previously fired consumed a whopping 1,000 energy points, severely draining his reserves before he was even forced into melee. Adding that to the other energy-intensive moves he used afterward, he might be the one with the lowest reserves left.

Luckily, their opponent was also weakened after losing her armor. The protective shell had shattered seconds after she took the laser beam head-on, greatly alleviating her oppressiveness.

Genji took a deep breath and regulated his condition, readying himself for when Igora returned to the ground. His knotted muscles gradually unwound, and his joints snapped back into place, bringing a soft comfort. His skin remained pink and boiling hot, but all the surface moisture had already evaporated.

He replenished his fluid levels and took a sprinting stance, eyes fixed on the rapidly descending Igora. A split second later, he burst forward and delivered a flurry of slashes. Igora tried her best to parry midair but was quickly overwhelmed. Beyond Genji's dexterous combos, she still had to contend with Jonas's terrible luck, which constantly disrupted her.

For the first time in this battle, she was finally wounded—and the number was only climbing at lightning speed. Clashes of metal and sparks manifested between them as they rapidly traversed the area.

Genji now had the advantage in strength, making him the main aggressor and controlling where Igora was knocked back. Using this advantage, he kept her away from his teammates and bought them precious time to recover.

After a few more exchanges, Igora's gaze grew grim as she activated her last unused domain. A meteoric impact crashed into Genji out of nowhere like a raging train, launching him away at breakneck speed. Genji reinforced his body with Solid Core and dug his feet into the ground to buffer the impact.

Meanwhile, Igora immediately closed the domain and applied an energy-intensive movement buff to herself. Now that she couldn't overwhelm them with sheer power, she would have to resort to more complicated techniques to close this battle.

Igora brandished her spear and rushed toward Genji. This time, however, her afterimage trail lingered for much longer, seamlessly flowing into the next image and radiating a presence indistinguishable from the original. She had just become much harder to perceive at her supersonic speeds.

She arrived before Genji and unleashed several attacks. Genji fended her off but gradually lost ground. The first few exchanges were manageable, but it became significantly more difficult when Igora began interweaving her strikes with her afterimages. Was this incoming attack real or just an illusion? Or maybe it was identical to a previous attack on purpose, intending to catch him off guard.

It was an endless mind game—one with devastating consequences upon failure. With this setup, Igora didn't need to break through his defenses with any fancy maneuvers; she just needed to outlast him because, eventually, he would reveal a flaw.

After a few more exchanges, Genji gave up trying to perceive her altogether and focused solely on his instincts. Wherever there was danger, that was where he would strike. Yet as effective as this defense was, it was not a long-term strategy. Genji only had so many minutes left before Titanic Empowerment entered cooldown.

At this moment, a mad glint appeared in his eyes. 'You want to play the long game? Fine! Let's see who falls first!'

Genji began throwing out poisons around him, brewing a deadly concoction mid-battle. His goal? A 98% death rate by his own standards!

As this was happening, he shouted, "Drink the poison!" at 7156. "Make sure our friends get some as well!"

It took 7156 a moment to realize Genji was talking about the 80% death rate concoction he'd sold him before this world (ch 225). It was a prosperous idea, but he decided to trust his friend's judgement. 7156 retrieved a carefully sealed bottle, took a big gulp, and threw it to Stella.

Genji followed his own advice, and his breath turned a deep green. Stella, on the other hand, remained much more hesitant, especially after hearing Genji's words.

Part of her wondered if this was a scheme to kill her off ahead of time, but then she realized the contract they signed was strict enough to account for that situation. After all, those three privilege tokens weren't paid for nothing. They would have to be imbecilic to test {Eternal Void's} limits.

Stella drank her portion before feeding the rest to Jonas. Once Genji received confirmation that everyone had drunk the poison, he accelerated his actions. A dense purple mist enveloped the region, transforming the already apocalyptic wasteland into a lethal forbidden zone.

While Igora didn't know what Genji was scheming due to the language barrier, she still intensified her attacks. After Genji fended her off several more times, she noticed the shift in his tempo and roughly understood his plan. It was hard not to when Genji went from defending and trying to counterattack to full-on stalling.

At this moment, Stella rejoined the conflict and began pestering Igora. Igora tried to pull away and target Stella instead, but Genji refused to give her any chance. Whenever she tried, he would become extremely aggressive and force her to defend herself. It was easy to spot the attempt when an "afterimage" suddenly deviated from the previously established patterns.

The deadlock persisted as both parties raced to find a solution to their predicament. With so much uncertainty on both sides, neither of them was confident they could outlast their opponent. Continuing this stalemate was akin to leaving their fate up to a coin flip.

Suddenly, 7156's presence took on a deathly hue, becoming cold and unapproachable. His skin turned pale blue, as if frostbitten; his eyes dimmed; his vitality rapidly dwindled; and his hair became as brittle as dried seaweed.

He raised his hand and pointed at Igora, as if uttering a silent declaration. The next moment, he lost a large chunk of his life force, and the poison inside Igora suddenly grew cancerous, proliferating at unimaginable rates as if time itself had accelerated for it.

7156's transformation receded shortly after, but the damage had already been done. Igora's body roared with immense pain, crippling her strength and scattering her energy. Blood seeped nonstop from her mouth as she was eaten alive from the inside out. She fell onto her left knee and stared at 7156 in sheer disbelief, unable to comprehend what had just occurred.

However, Genji gave her no chance to understand and pressed his advantage. With a single slash, he hurled Igora backward and shattered her afterimage trail. The battlefield cleared as Igora came to a stop with trembling hands.

After this round of weakening, she could barely keep up with Genji's strength anymore. They had completely swapped roles. Now, all it would take was a single good hit, and she would be down for good.

Genji abruptly appeared beside her and slashed again without mercy. Igora hurriedly raised her spear to block and was launched back another dozen meters. Genji attacked again. Again. And again.

With each block, Igora's grip on her weapon grew increasingly unsteady, like a sapling in the wind, ready to snap at any moment. Yet despite her precarious circumstances, her gaze remained just as steady as when she started this battle, if not more.

Her unbreakable resolve and determination kept all hesitation at bay, allowing her to persist like an undefeated Goddess of War. At least, she had once been an undefeated Goddess of War. But now, all her invincible powers had been stripped away by an unknown affliction, leaving her gasping for breath at even the slightest exertion.

Her immense physical strength?

Gone.

Unfathomable magical abilities?

Gone.

The ability to fight the world to a standstill?

All gone!

Yet despite these losses, she still had her spear and the unwavering intent she had honed along the way. No matter how much the external world tried to deprive her of it, she knew they would still accompany her. It was the only true companion, she thought.

And so, she mustered all her Spear Intent and prepared her next attack - an attack fueled purely by determination, one she often overlooked in favor of her other abilities. But now, it was the only attack she could fall back on. It was... an ultimate attack.

Sweeping Across the World, I Alone am Invincible!

An overbearing intent swept through the area like a tsunami, obliterating all the poison mist and leveling the terrain. Genji barely put up a defense when the wave washed over him, crushing his bones and tearing his flesh. Bits of crystallized energy popped out from between his torn skin as his organs creaked with pain.

Bruce held his body together with his abilities, but it made little difference given the circumstances. The intent faded, and Genji crashed to the ground, immobilized.

From the corner of his vision, he saw 7156 struggling to remain standing beneath several flickering barriers. He clutched his blade for support, but his quivering muscles soon gave out. He was beyond exhausted; stopping that last attack had drained the very last of his strength. Now, he couldn't even stand anymore.

As for Stella, she had already been reduced to a lifeless, bloody pulp. She might have had many specializations as a mage, but defense was not one of them. Yet what everyone failed to notice beneath was that, at the moment of impact, her earrings had transformed into a streak of elemental energy and slipped into the ground.

Igora steadied her quaking hands and slowly pulled back her spear. The faint hum of energy buzzed around her as an even more intense light coiled around the weapon. She was ready to repeat the attack and end the battle for good.

Each strand of spear intent crackled with overwhelming force, weaving a silent countdown to their eventual demise.

Genji forced himself up despite his body's harsh protests and weakly stared into Igora's eyes. Through them, he saw her firm conviction, her unwavering will, and most importantly, the determination to finish her cause. While he didn't know what she was fighting for, he could respect her spirit.

Yet that didn't mean he would go down without a fight.

Even if it were futile.

Even if it did nothing.

Even if he was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

HE WOULD GO DOWN SWINGING!

His pupils emitted a faint beige tint, revealing a resolve no weaker than Igora's. Light tufts of air began to swirl around him, forming a circular ring above the ground.

Then a massive streak of light rapidly expanded across his vision, drowning out all shapes and colors and leaving only pure brightness. His eyes narrowed into thin slits as his perception of time began to slow.

His life flashed before his eyes as his mind desperately searched for a catalyst. Eventually, it recalled the battle he had with a certain balancer, Julian (ch. 162).

To paraphrase, intent manifestation is achieved by imposing one's will upon the world. It is the second stage of weapon intent and drastically increases the user's combat strength. However, the more prominent a manifestation is, the weaker it becomes, as it forms from the excess weapon intent beyond the user's control.

Why is this relevant?

Because Genji is on the cusp of reaching this state.

Now, all he had to do was decide what will to impose on the world.

'Is that even a question? CUT EVERYTHING!'

An equally massive streak of light erupted from his dagger, slashing apart Igora's attack. Their weapon intents then curled together and dissipated into a light breeze, canceling each other out.

Igora was taken aback by his sudden breakthrough but remained otherwise unaffected. So what if he broke through? It wasn't as if her intent was any weaker. If they wanted to talk specifics, hers might be stronger, as she had several more years of experience at this level than he did.

They locked eyes and began mustering their weapon intents. This time, they condensed their intents as much as possible, forming a single strike meant to break through everything. Now, whoever had the more compressed intent would win this exchange.

Time slipped by, and the phenomena surrounding them intensified, as more weapon intent spiraled beyond their control. For Genji, his wind ring had twisted into a raging tornado, with him at the eye of the storm. Across from him, the ground around Igora sank, as if compressed by an invisible hydraulic press.

As they approached their limits, Igora suddenly smiled, knowing she had won this exchange. Her years of experience had given her the edge in this exchange.

Genji met her gaze with an indifferent expression and brought his hand up to his chest. Then, with three hard thumps, the surface layer of his shadow core dissolved, releasing copious amounts of stored energy.

A volatile vortex swirled around his daggers like an ominous fog, devouring even the tornado around him. Then he burst forward and swung with all his might. For a brief moment, the world lost all color, becoming a chaotic blend of black and white.

When these colors faded and the world returned to normal, Genji was behind Igora with his daggers extended outward.

They paused for a brief moment before the middle of Igora's spear slid apart, revealing a smooth, glossy surface. And with that came two deep cuts across her chest, forming a giant red X. Then the wounds burst open, releasing a cascade of blood.

Igora's eyes widened in confusion before a flash of resignation swept over her. After that, her eyes dimmed, and she fell backward, lifeless.

Igora, the Forsaken Revolutionary, has been slain.