Dila clenched her staff tightly, her silver-white hair flickering in the wind, strands dancing wildly as her blue eyes narrowed with sharp focus. The battlefield trembled beneath her feet as she slammed the base of her staff onto the ground, her voice rising into a commanding incantation.

"Earthrea… respond to me once more!"

The ground cracked. Mana surged like a living pulse around her, and from the shattered earth, the familiar outline of the golem burst upward—stone plates folding, limbs assembling, and ancient runes lighting up along its hulking form. Its core flickered like a heart made of molten amber, and its eyes glowed with a dull blue hue.

But Dila wasn't done.

She spun her staff, a spiral of magic shards orbiting faster around the head of the Archane wand. Her voice rang out again, this time with fiercer urgency.

"Bloom Flair Chaine!"

Chains of radiant energy spiraled from her staff, weaving around Earthrea's limbs and chest, wrapping the golem like vines made of pure mana. As they tightened, a brilliant flare exploded from the runes engraved on its body. The golem roared—not with a voice, but with an earthquake-like stomp as its fists clenched. Its power surged, the boost immediate: a +60% rise in brute force and destructive capability.

Still, Dila wasn't done.

Her breathing grew strained, but she didn't stop. She raised her right hand into the air, palm open, voice trembling with emotion.

"Brave Aura…!"

A burst of red light erupted from her form and streamed into Earthrea like wildfire. The golem buckled, its legs lowering into a combat stance, arms tense, and core flaring bright crimson. Its aura transformed—no longer blue but a violent red, raging like a burning storm. The enhancement stacked. Another 80% power boost surged through the golem's stone frame, and its eyes once blue—snapped open into a terrifying, hellish red.

The air around it thickened with raw pressure. Dust and loose debris levitated, caught in the rising magical turbulence. Even the fog that surrounded them hissed as it thinned in the presence of Earthrea's now-unstable energy.

Dila stood back, panting, a cold sweat on her brow. Her mana throbbed in her chest like a second heartbeat. She could feel it—that terrifying strength.

Earthrea… was no longer just a summon.

It was a walking storm.

And if it went too far again, she might not be able to stop it.

And then—without warning—the Earthrea golem let out a low, guttural growl that echoed through the thickening fog. Its red aura blazed hotter as it crouched low, like a wild beast about to lunge. The ground beneath its feet cracked from the sheer pressure of its stance.

With a sharp boom, it charged forward—no longer a golem, but a living war machine unleashed. The crimson glow trailing behind its body made it look like a comet raging across the battlefield.

Albedo narrowed his eyes.

"Tch... that thing... "

It was fast. Too fast. In a blink, the golem was already swinging down its massive stone arm like a crashing hammer. But Albedo's eyes calmly followed it, his arm snapping up just in time to block the punch with his forearm.

CRACK!!

The impact sent a violent tremor through the air. Dust erupted beneath Albedo's boots, and the shockwave shattered nearby debris. The Earthrea's arm shook trembling with strain—yet… Albedo's own arm trembled slightly, too. Just slightly.

His eyes blinked. A glint of surprise passed through his cold expression.

He wasn't looking at the golem anymore. He looked off to the side… into the fog… into memory.

(So… Dila… you've truly grown this strong… in such a short span of years?)

He didn't say it aloud. But the thought clung to his breath like frost in the air.

And just then—

A flash of motion on his right. Fran dashed in from the side, boosted by the same Brave Aura Dila cast earlier. Her eyes burned but blue light, her tiny figure a streak of speed and intent. She spun, blade drawn, and slashed at Albedo's exposed side like lightning wrapped in steel.

But…

CLANG!!

He blocked her without even looking. His other arm rose and caught her strike cleanly—like swatting a fly.

Fran's eyes widened. Her body was cast off to the side with a blast of force. She flipped in the air, landing roughly but regaining her stance, her boots skidding across the broken ground. Her chest rose and fell fast. Her hands trembled on the dagger.

She stared.

(That was everything… even with Dila's Brave Aura… and I still did nothing?)

Her heart pounded as a strange mix of awe and fear burned in her veins. Her blue eyes glowed faintly, mixing with the red Brave Aura surrounding her—like two souls clashing in one small body. Her tail flicked in unease.

She bit her lip.

(If he had hit me back just a second harder… I'd become folded thin can by now.)

Goosebumps ran down her arms. For the first time in this battle… she truly understood how massive the gap was between them and that monster.

Dila's breath trembled as her fingers tightened around the glowing staff. The ground still vibrated faintly from Earthrea's stomping charge a moment ago—its frame still seething with crimson energy from Brave Aura, eyes blazing like twin furnaces. Her mana was flowing at a dangerous pace… yet steady. Strong.

But something felt different. She could feel it how the energy she channeled into her golem, into her allies, had grown sharper… heavier… stronger.

"Nari…" she whispered in her thoughts. "Is it me—or is the magical power I give to my allies becoming... too powerful?"

There was a soft pause. Then came the gentle, delicate voice of her system.

☆ You're not imagining it, master. It's a real power-up... You've upgraded. Back then… ☆

Back then? Dila echoed silently. Her heartbeat slowed, eyes narrowing. What do you mean, back where?

☆ Back when you were kidnapped by the masked man... Zeon. In that carriage, while you were asleep. ☆

Nari's voice softened, almost like a whisper of wind.

☆ When you were trapped in that dreadful dream—haunted, terrified... You didn't realize it, but your soul fought back. That struggle awakened something new. It wasn't just survival... You reshaped yourself. Your power bloomed in silence, just like you always do. ☆

Dila's eyes widened, memories flickering like splintered glass—fragments of that cursed dream she barely remembered. A chill ran down her arms.

"So... that's why I've been changing?" she murmured inwardly. "That's the reason behind this... exponential growth?"

☆ Yes, master. You're not the same as before. You've passed a threshold even you didn't notice. ☆

Dila paused. Her heart squeezed with a strange ache—something between awe and fear.

"But... isn't my magical power connected only to you? Without you, I'm nothing. Isn't that right, Nari?"

There was silence for a heartbeat.

Then Nari's voice replied with soft certainty.

☆ Yes… but remember this, always. I am born from you. I exist because of you. I'm a system, but your soul gives me breath. If there is no 'you'... then there is no Nari. You're not my vessel, you're my reason. ☆

Dila stood there, stunned.

The wind blew softly around her silver hair. Somewhere infornt of her while fighting albedo, Earthrea's punch shattered the earth with deafening force—but her mind was far away.

Her lips parted.

"Oh…"

And in that quiet moment, Dila felt it not just power, not just growth—but a connection. A reminder that she had not only survived... she had evolved.

And Nari was more than her guide.

She was her echo.

The air rumbled.

With a deep, thunderous crack, the massive golem Earthrea swung its colossal arm again—fist clenched tight—and struck Albedo continuing its last attack with a force that split the very earth beneath its stance. The blow landed clean, and for the first time, the King of Eldor staggered. Only slightly ten inches back—but enough to mark a clear shift in momentum.

A deep fracture carved across Earthrea's stony knuckles from the impact, shards raining down like broken glass.

Then—

SHHHNK—CRK!

Its hand regenerated. Seamless, fluid, as if guided by Dila's will alone. Glowing red glyphs spiraled around its arm, pulsing in time with her mana. The golem's eyes flared brighter, crimson with rage, as it reared for another strike.

From a distance, Albedo stood upright again, brushing dust from his black and gold royal coat with a casual smirk.

"Hah..." He laughed softly, and then raised his voice.

"Your toy's gotten strong, my daughter. Just like me!"

His voice echoed across the crumbling stone floor of the battleground, a ruined temple where fractured marble pillars leaned like wounded giants, and the skies above boiled in a quiet stormcloud of mana.

Dila, standing with her wand at her side, narrowed her eyes. Her lips pressed thin.

"…It's not funny."

Her voice was low, hurt beneath the cold tone. Her mana still surged in her veins like a river barely contained. She wasn't smiling. Not even close.

Before the dust of Earthrea's strike had even settled—

SHFFT—!!

Fran blinked forward in a blur of black silk. Her dagger danced behind Albedo's back, the blade humming with a high-pitched whine as it scraped across his body. Sparks burst in a brilliant arc, like fireworks across the twilight.

Albedo didn't flinch. Instead, he tilted his head and let out a long laugh, playful… but edged with menace.

"Oho? Your little cat scratched me."

He turned his head slightly, one blue eye glancing toward Dila again.

"Isn't she adorable, daughter of mine? Ahahahaha…"

Fran landed, back-flipped again but into a crouch, her navy hair fanned in the wind. "Tch…!"

Dila clenched her wand tighter, mana trembling down her arm.

Far above the battle, standing on a shattered archway where vines clung and wind howled, Zeon watched everything unfold. His face caught the glow of the golem's red aura. Slowly, he raised his hand to his forehead—

And slapped it with a sigh.

"…Still as strong as ever my king."

His voice carried quietly, almost lost in the wind. But his tone carried the weight of history regret, awe, and a strange, distant admiration for the chaos brewing below.

Below them all, Earthrea reared once more, its feet sinking into cracked stone as it prepared for another clash.

The ground trembled again.

And Dila stood at far away of it now like silent, glowing, and unmoved.