The atmosphere around Anna began to crack. The mana pressure overflowing from her was so massive that Artur realized the time for "playing around" was over. The air between them seemed to split by force; a wave of energy exploded outward, accompanied by a dance of lightning that struck wildly in every direction.

The mana in the air was sucked into their bodies like a ravenous whirlpool. This was Mana God Form—a forbidden technique that was not merely a change of shape, but the borrowing of authority from gods who once reigned in legend. While many mages failed to bear the weight of this power, Artur and Anna were the exceptions. Their Constellation was so flawless that it could contain the entirety of that divine essence without residue.

"[Mana God Form: Lightning Tiger]"

Artur’s body was wreathed in an electric aura far more feral and unstable. Lightning now flowed beneath his skin, forming cracks of golden-blue light that spread like tiger stripes. His hair stood wild, sparking with bolts in every strand. His eyes ignited—no longer a simple blue, but a fusion of gold and electricity; the gaze of a predator that had locked onto its prey.

Organic armor in the shape of tiger muscle and claws encased his limbs. Behind him, a living manifestation of mana began to take shape—a colossal lightning tiger. With every step Artur took, the phantom moved in perfect sync, as if they were two entities sharing a single soul.

"[Mana God Form: Indra]"

On the other side stood Anna, the personification of a lightning goddess—graceful, yet lethal. Her long silver hair flowed freely, swept by an invisible storm of energy. The crown upon her head glowed with a dazzling blue crystal core. At the center of her forehead, a symbol of divine power pulsed in rhythm with the heartbeat of the storm.

Her eyes were no longer windows to the soul, but the core of a tempest filled with authority, ready to judge any who stood before her. Her elegant attire had evolved into semi-divine armor, adorned with gold and crystals that radiated a cold energy—a fusion of ice and bolt. In her hand, she gripped the Vajra, a legendary weapon that spat out patterns of electricity like the nerves of the heavens. The air vibrated violently; the world itself seemed to bow in her presence.

Artur lunged. In his Lightning Tiger form, his speed defied logic, heightened by a combat intuition that had sharpened to a razor’s edge. In the blink of an eye, he was before Anna. His phantom claws tore through the air with a deafening roar.

Artur had no intention of harming his sister, but he knew this strike had to be forceful enough to compel her to defend. However, his calculations were fatally flawed. Before his claws could find their mark, a burst of divine lightning exploded from Anna’s body, striking him with such force that he was momentarily paralyzed. That split second was more than enough for the Goddess of Thunder. A tempestuous blast slammed into Artur’s chest, hurling him far back across the ruins.

He tumbled across the ground, but thanks to his honed reflexes, he sprang back up and surged forward again through the rain of lightning.

"Anna, listen to me! You have to wake up!" he screamed, weaving through the jagged strikes falling from the sky. "I know you’re strong! You can break free from that disgusting creature’s control!"

Anna did not answer. Instead, the lightning in her eyes sharpened with pure revulsion. Artur remained oblivious to the fact that every insult he hurled at Moku—the husband Anna truly loved—was further eroding the last vestiges of her affection for him.

To Artur, he was merely performing the sacred duty of a younger brother "saving" his sister from a corrupting influence. With impossible agility, he dodged orbs of electricity moving at the speed of light, forcing his way back into striking range.

"[Lightning Tiger Art: Tiger Roar]!"

A massive shockwave hammered toward Anna’s position, but the Vajra in the Goddess’s hand conjured an absolute lightning shield that shattered the attack with ease. Undeterred, Artur slashed again with his tiger claws. To his shock, Anna simply ducked with a relaxed, almost casual grace. She spun 180 degrees and delivered a devastating kick squarely into Artur’s chest.

Artur managed to cross his arms in a desperate guard, but he had underestimated the sheer power behind those slender legs. Crack! The bones in his forearms splintered, and the following shockwave felt as if it were incinerating his entire nervous system.

His body was slammed violently into the earth, creating a massive crater that sent tremors through the ground. A piteous groan echoed from behind the rising plume of dust. Anna gave him no room to breathe. She raised her Vajra high, channeling mana until the very heavens seemed to fall under her command.

"It is finished."

A bolt of lightning as massive as a manor house fell from the celestial throne, striking directly into the pit where her brother lay broken.

Before the colossal pillar of lightning could vaporize Artur’s body, a woman blurred into motion, intercepting the storm.

"[Sakura Calamity Art: Dome of Flower]!"

Billions of cherry blossom petals suddenly filled the air, swirling rapidly to form a majestic protective dome. As the pillar of thunder struck, the petals were incinerated into ash, yet they succeeded in dampening the lethal fury of the heavens.

"Rini... why..." Artur whispered hoarsely, his body trembling as he endured the searing agony of his burns.

The woman was Rini, his wife. She had entered her Mana God Form: The Sakura Calamity. Her appearance had transformed drastically; she wore an elegant pink-and-white patterned kimono, her hair now the shade of a cherry blossom in full bloom. Beneath that beauty lay a terrifying power: every petal she controlled was capable of disintegrating anything it touched.

Rini glanced back, her eyes reflecting a mix of anxiety and resolve. "Artur, why are you holding back? Do you intend to die?" Her voice trembled, not with fear, but with restrained fury. "She is no longer an opponent you can face half-heartedly. That last attack... it was meant to kill you!"

"Shut up!" Artur barked, his face hardening in denial. "I don’t need your help! This is between me and Anna. An outsider like you has no right to interfere!"

Rini flinched. The word "outsider" pierced her deeper than any bolt of lightning ever could. She fell silent, her lips trembling slightly before she clamped her jaw shut.

Artur turned his gaze back to Anna, who was hovering in the sky. His sister remained still, making no move to follow up her attack. Maybe she’s fighting his control from the inside, Artur thought hopefully.

’Hang on, Sister. I’ll save you.’

"Artur," Rini broke the silence, her voice now lower and more pragmatic. "If you truly want to take Anna back, words are not the way. She is under Moku’s control. We must incapacitate her, restrain her, and only then find a way to restore her consciousness."

Rini’s words stunned him. For the first time in the midst of this chaos, he truly looked into his wife’s eyes. "Do you... do you really think that will work?"

Rini nodded firmly, despite the bitterness in her gaze. "You aren’t alone, Artur. We will help you."

As the sentence ended, shadows emerged from behind the ruins. Artur gasped as he recognized the faces—his teammates from Class A-15. Dony, Sigurd, Tony, Lila... the survivors of a war that had claimed three-quarters of their elite class.

"All of you..." Artur whispered in disbelief.

Sigurd stepped forward. The jagged scar across his face had stolen his smile forever, replaced by the cold stare of a veteran. "As much as you’re acting like a madman, Artur, you’re still our friend. I’ve lost count of how many times you saved my life. This time, let us support your selfishness."

The other members of Class A-15 nodded. There was no hesitation. War had forged a bond stronger than any tie of blood.

"I’m starting to see why you’re so obsessed with your sister, Artur. She really is beautiful—" Tony smirked, trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere.

But before Tony could finish his sentence, the world seemed to stop spinning.

Anna’s silhouette vanished from the sky in the blink of an eye. A streak of white light cleaved through the air, moving so fast that even Artur’s predatory eyes could barely catch the afterimage.

Thwack.

Anna’s Vajra had pierced through Tony’s chest. Fresh blood sprayed out, splattering the faces of his friends who stood frozen in shock. Anna stood there, right in the center of them, staring at her victim with eyes that were flat and hollow.

"Good. I was tired of waiting for you all to gather," Anna whispered. Her voice sounded like the grinding of ice, cold and devoid of a soul. "This way, I won’t have to hunt you down one by one."

In the night air approaching dawn, the smell of iron from splattered blood filled their nostrils.

---------------------------------------------------

Hey everyone! Are you ready for next month? 🔥

The conflict in TROC is reaching a boiling point, and I know many of you are dying to see what happens next. To keep the momentum going, I’ll be opening up a massive Privilege access of up to 30 Chapters next month!

You can choose the tier that fits your coin stash best. Honestly, the 5-Chapter tier for only 12 Coins is an absolute steal if you want to stay ahead of the curve. And for those of you who want to go on a full-blown reading marathon, you can unlock all 30 Chapters for 291 Coins.

What do you think of this setup? Are you ready to save up those coins and witness Moku’s next move?