Below the giant Hysteria Tree, Lima was battling both the cultist and the monstrous-looking tree itself at the same time.

The entire battlefield looked like a natural disaster zone. Shockwaves continuously exploding across the area while invisible pressure distorts the air.

Even from a distance, Zac could feel how terrifying the fight truly was.

The moment the two domains collided, the entire eastern side of the city trembled violently.

BOOOOOOM!

Invisible pressure crashed into the surroundings from both sides, turning the already ruined area into something even more devastated.

The cultist grinned wildly and vanished. A crater exploded beneath where he had been standing.

Lima’s eyes sharpened.

The transformed cultist instantly appeared beside her with his gigantic claws ripping through the air toward her head.

CLANG!

Lima blocked with her flaming sword, but the sheer physical strength behind the attack still blasted her backward through multiple ruined cars.

Before she could fully regain balance, the Historia Tree attacked.

SHHHHK!

Dozens of razor-sharp branches shot toward her from every direction, each one aiming directly for the vital points in her body.

Lima immediately activated Micro Steps.

Her body moved gracefully between the incoming branches with movements so delicate they almost looked like a dance. Flaming trails followed her sword as she continuously sliced apart the branches one after another.

SHHK!

SHHK!

SHHK!

Burning pieces of wood rained across the battlefield.

But the attacks didn’t stop. The tree kept on producing more branches endlessly while colorful emotional orbs floated around the battlefield like poisonous lanterns.

The cultist suddenly burst through the smoke with monstrous speed. His claws swung downward violently. Lima dodged sideways at the last second, but the impact alone shattered the entire street beneath them.

BOOOOOOM!

"Haahaaa...Yes! "THIS is what a real fight should feel like!"

Lima ignored him completely. Her eyes remained cold and focused as flames erupted around her body, forming multiple fiery swords behind her, ready to attack at her command.

Each burning sword radiated terrifying heat, distorting the surrounding atmosphere. Even the cultist’s grin faltered slightly seeing the swords.

Lima raised her blade and shouted. "Domain skill: Fiery Flying Swords."

Instantly, every fire sword shot toward him simultaneously, like a meteor shower.

The cultist’s eyes widened, but instead of dodging, he slammed both of his claws into the ground.

BOOOOM!

An enormous chunk of earth was ripped straight out of the street. The man roared and hurled the massive debris toward the incoming swords.

The fiery blades collided against it, producing a massive cloud of dust and smoke.

BAAAAAANG!

A huge explosion of flames consumed the battlefield. Burning debris flew in every direction while violent shockwaves tore apart the nearby buildings.

***

From the rooftop, Zac instinctively raised one arm in front of his face to shield himself from the violent winds reaching even his position.

His eyes trembled slightly.

"Is this... how high-level variants fight?"

"Even while focusing with everything I have, I’m still struggling to fully follow their movements. Sometimes, all I can see are afterimages."

"I can’t even properly track them..." he muttered under his breath.

[They are just A-Rank.]

"I know, even so..."

[You need to broaden your perspective.]

***

Meanwhile, inside the battlefield, Lima suddenly emerged from the flames and swung her sword horizontally.

A massive arc of fire tore across the ground toward the cultist. The transformed man crossed his claws in front of him to block the attack.

BOOOOOOM!

The attack pushed him backward, carving deep trenches into the earth. But before Lima could continue pressing him, the Historia Tree attacked again.

Hundreds of sharpened branches descended from above like a forest of spears.

Lima’s eyes flickered upward.

She weaved through the attacks using ’Micro Steps’ while continuously cutting through the branches with blazing sword strikes.

Every slash left burning orange trails in the darkness, her movements looking impossibly clean.

Yet, despite all that... the pressure of fighting both the transformed cultist and the Hysteria Tree simultaneously was beginning to take its toll on her.

***

"Wait a minute... Why is the tree only attacking her? Isn’t it the inherent nature for a monster to kill everything they see?"

[Took you long enough to realize it. Anyway, A-Rank monsters already possess a certain level of intelligence. The Hysteria Tree likely understands that the cultist is helping it, which is why it considers him an ally and targets the chick instead.]

Zac stared silently at the battlefield. An intelligent A-Rank monster, just hearing those words made the entire situation feel even worse for him.

***

BOOOOOOOM!

Another massive shockwave erupted across the battlefield as Lima and the cultist collided head-on once again.

The battlefield had already turned into hell. Flames were burning over the streets, buildings collapsed around the area, and the tree continuously produced emotional orbs, turning the entire region into a nightmare.

And at the center of it all...

The cultist’s monstrous strength had risen to a terrifying level after his transformation. Every swing of his claws carried enough force to rip apart buildings effortlessly.

Meanwhile, the Historia Tree continuously interfered from behind, launching countless sharpened branches toward Lima whenever an opening appeared.

Then it happened.

During a brief exchange, Lima cut apart several incoming branches before stepping backward to avoid the cultist’s claws.

At that exact moment...

’Pop.’

One of the floating emotional orbs silently burst against her shoulder, and a deep pink mist instantly seeped into her body.

The moment the orb entered her system, Lima’s movements faltered for the briefest second. Her breathing became uneven, and the veins along her arm faintly bulged.

A violent wave of emotion suddenly erupted inside her chest like a dormant volcano awakening.

’Lust.’

An unnatural craving for pleasure surged through her mind, trying to drown out her thoughts and instincts.

"Hahahahaha!"

"There it is!" the cultist shouted mockingly, pointing at her. "Now that you’ve been affected by the orb, this is the end for you!"

Behind him, the Hysteria Tree pulsed violently, as though celebrating her downfall. But Lima slowly lifted her head and looked directly into the cultist’s eyes, her expression eerily calm.

"Yes. It is the end, but not for me."

The instant those words left her mouth, the atmosphere changed. Lima slowly raised her sword toward the sky with both hands.

’HUMMMMMMMMMM...’

Every trace of mana in the surrounding area began rushing toward her blade like an ocean being swallowed by a black hole.

Even space itself started warping slightly around the sword from the unbearable heat gathering within it.

The nearby ground melted almost instantly, while the surrounding buildings began cracking apart under the pressure alone.

For the first time since the battle began, fear appeared in the cultist’s eyes.

"What... the hell is that?"

The monstrous energy gathering within the blade made every instinct inside his body scream danger.

He immediately jumped backward in panic.

But Lima calmly spoke. "It’s too late to run now."

Her sword had already become a miniature sun. Blazing fire spiraled around the blade while the surrounding mana continued collapsing into it endlessly.

[Hurry enter the building and hide somewhere safe. You will be toasted if you stay here.]

Lima swung her sword in a clean downward slash.

"AGNI...DESTROYER..."

’SLASH’

A gigantic wave of blazing fire erupted forward like divine judgment descending upon the earth. Everything before Lima was instantly swallowed whole by the fire.

The cultist’s scream lasted less than a second before disappearing completely beneath the flames.

The Historia Tree let out a horrifying shriek as the fire consumed its gigantic body.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

The entire eastern side of the city exploded into an ocean of fire.

Buildings melted and roads shattered. Even the clouds above the city were torn open by the sheer force of the attack.

The attack had completely erased everything in its path. The rest of the eastern side, including the building Zac was in also fully ruined from the burning wind and shockwave.