Chapter 198: Chapter 198: Fracture Of The Maiden

​Wabil’s black claws lashed down, cleaving the air with a sharp hiss. The tips of her nails were a mere inch from Dayat’s throat. A fraction more, and the Architect’s story would have reached its end.

​Then, everything froze.

​Dola’s hand caught Wabil’s wrist. There was no visible straining of muscles, yet Wabil felt as though her hand had been shackled by an immovable pillar of steel. This was no ordinary physical strength. Something ancient was clawing its way out from within Dola—something that had long been curled up, silenced by six layers of light that were now beginning to groan, cracking with a subtle yet deafening tring in the spirit’s ear.

​Wabil turned her head slowly. The smug smile that had adorned her face moments ago vanished completely. "Tsk, you—"

​Dola jerked her hand. It was only a single, short shove, yet Wabil was sent flying like a bullet, slamming into a pile of castle ruins until it disintegrated into dust. Crash! Around them, the dense black fog began to vibrate violently, pushed back by an invisible wave of pressure.

​Dayat looked up with the remnants of his consciousness. His weary eyes gazed at the woman before him. "Hmm... Dola...?"

​Dola stood tall, though her body still trembled. The bandage on her shoulder tore, allowing fresh blood to seep out again, but she didn’t care. A blue-white light began to glow from the pores of her skin. The light didn’t explode blindingly; instead, it radiated steadily—cold, and carrying an immense gravitational weight. The first of the six seals had shattered. A sliver of the True Maiden’s power was leaking out.

​The light crawled up her form, swallowing her tattered white cloak and clothes. The fabric faded, replaced by a condensed substance of energy—pure white with pulsing electric blue accents along her arms and back. A short combat skirt draped over legs now clad in black leggings and knee-high boots. A ring of blue energy rotated slowly on the back of her hands, rhythmic with her heartbeat. Her silver hair flowed long, waving gently even though the air was dead still.

​And her eyes—a blinding blue as deep as the core of a star. The True Maiden had returned.

​Wabil crawled out from the debris, wiping dust from her white dress, which was now nothing more than rags. Black blood still dripped from her old wounds, but she instead grinned widely. "Finally. Hmm, you’ve returned, Maiden."

​Dola did not respond. She simply raised her right hand toward the dark sky.

​Above the Forest of Lamentation, a speck of light appeared. It was small, then tore open wide with a crack that split the heavens. The Maiden’s Star-Ship glided out from the dimensional rift. Its massive black hull blotted out the sky, while its engines roared, vibrating the lungs of anyone who heard them.

​From the opening hangars, a rain of metal fell. Sentinel-Stalkers slammed into the earth in a precise triangular formation. Sentinel-Wardens followed, the plasma cannons on their shoulders spinning with a terrifying mechanical whirr. Sentinel-Drones darted through the air, their lasers glowing crimson. Finally, a twenty-meter-tall Sentinel-Colossus stomped its feet, making the earth feel as if it were about to split open.

​Zero Castle beneath them began to groan. Stone walls folded, towers collapsed inward, and the entire structure lifted, transforming into an intimidating warship. Mechanical arms reached out, pulling Dayat and Lunethra into a sterile control room before they lost consciousness entirely.

​Wabil watched it all with glittering eyes. "Excellent. Simply excellent!"

​She spread her arms. The ground across the entire Forest of Lamentation split open. From those black holes, Ancient Plagueborne rose. Creaking dragon bones, foul-smelling ancient wolves, and giant Thorned Howlers crawled out. Tens of thousands of monsters filled the horizon.

​"This is my kingdom, Maiden."

​Dola raised her hand forward. A single signal. And a rain of iron was unleashed.

​The Sentinel-Stalkers charged. Groups of three worked like slaughtering machines. One would bait an ancient wolf, while the other two pierced the monster’s chest and gut until it collapsed in a pool of black fluid. The Wardens formed a barricade line, spitting plasma in a steady rhythm—Blam! Blam! Blam!

​One Warden unit ran out of power; its shield flickered and died. As a wave of Plagueborne surged toward it, the unit didn’t retreat. It activated maximum core load and self-destructed, obliterating dozens of enemies in a single blast of blue fire.

​A Colossus moved forward. A giant skeletal dragon lunged at it with a deafening roar. They collided—metal against ancient bone. One of the Colossus’s arms was torn off by the dragon’s tail, but it didn’t stop. With its remaining hand, it grabbed the dragon’s jaw, forced it open, and fired its plasma cannon directly into the skull. The dragon collapsed, shattered into pieces.

​In the midst of the chaos, Dola lunged.

​Her body left a sharp trail of blue light. She glided straight toward Wabil, who stood atop a hill of bones. Wabil smirked, welcoming the arrival of the light.

​Dola swung a fist. Blue energy swirled around her knuckles like a roaring drill bit. Wabil tilted her head, evading the strike by mere millimeters. Yet the shockwave from the punch slammed into the bone hill behind her, shattering it into fine splinters.

​Wabil countered. Her claws lashed out—five black lines tore through the air. Dola spun mid-air, but one line managed to graze her shoulder, tearing her new uniform and drawing fresh blood. Undeterred, Dola twisted her body and landed a heavy kick to Wabil’s waist, sending the Harbinger tumbling away.

​Wabil landed, then stood slowly. "Hmm, you’re serious, I see."

​Wabil’s tattered white dress suddenly rotted away, disintegrating into ash that blew in the wind. Her true form emerged—pale grey skin with black cracks flowing with thick fluid across her body. A new dress formed from black smoke, billowing wildly. Bone protrusions jutted from her shoulders, and her beautiful face turned hideous with empty white eyes. Every step she took caused the ground beneath her to die instantly.

​True Plague Form.

​The two poles stared each other down. Blue light against black mist.

​Dola attacked again. Her fist struck empty air as Wabil instantly shifted behind her. Wabil’s black nails thrust forward, but Dola spun quickly, parrying with her forearm. Snap! Sparks of blue-black fire scattered.

​They exchanged blows at an impossible speed. Every punch from Dola left a trail of light, while every claw from Wabil left a foul stench that rotted the air. Dola raised both hands, forming a ball of blue energy the size of a cart and hurling it. Wabil caught the sphere with both hands, holding it until it vibrated violently before tossing it aside. Boom! The ground exploded, creating a massive crater.

​Wabil countered with a lethal spear of black mist. Dola raised her hand, forming an energy shield. The shield cracked, but Dola pushed forward until the spear shattered into smoke fragments.

​Dola’s breath began to grow ragged. Sweat poured down her forehead, and the wounds on her body multiplied. Yet she remained standing tall. So did Wabil; though black blood flowed from her gut, she still smiled sinisterly. "You’re tired, Maiden."

​Dola didn’t answer. She clenched her right fist. All her remaining energy gathered there—a blue light so bright and dense that the air around it vibrated intensely. Wabil knew this was the final act. She gathered all the plague from the Forest of Lamentation, forming a pitch-black orb that continued to grow, turning the surrounding trees to dust in an instant.

​The two ultimate powers were released simultaneously.

​Blue light and black mist collided in the center, pushing and devouring each other. The ground between them melted. The entire Forest of Lamentation shook violently. The Sentinels and Plagueborne still fighting were thrown far by the resulting shockwave.

​Dola’s blue orb slowly began to overwhelm Wabil’s black one. The Harbinger’s eyes widened in shock. "No... it’s impossible... NO! I CANNOT LOSE! I AM—"

​The blue sphere swallowed everything. It swallowed the darkness, swallowed the screams, and swallowed Wabil.

​A blue-white light exploded. It wasn’t a destructive explosion, but one that silenced the universe. All sound vanished. All movement stopped. The world seemed frozen in a holy silence.

​Slowly, the light faded.

​In the middle of the quiet, massive crater, Dola stood alone. Her uniform was in shreds, her body drenched in blood. But she still stood. Before her, there was no more Wabil. No dust, no remains. Only a cold silence.

​Dola collapsed. The Maiden’s power evaporated from her body. Her combat uniform faded, returning to a torn white cape. Her hair lost its glow, and her eyes dimmed once more.

​With her last bit of strength, she dragged her body toward the ship. A mechanical arm pulled her into the silent control room. Dayat lay there, his breath coming in short gasps.

​Dola placed her trembling hand on Dayat’s chest. A dim blue light flowed from her palm—not combat energy, but the remnants of her own life.

​"Don’t die... Master..." she whispered hoarsely, barely audible. "I won’t... forgive you... if you dare to die..."

​Dayat’s wounds began to close slowly. Her husband’s breathing stabilized. But Dola grew paler, the light in her eyes finally fading out completely. She slumped beside Dayat, her white cape spreading across the cold ship floor.

​Outside, dawn began to break. The first light of the sun pierced through the thinning mist, illuminating the now-devastated Forest of Lamentation. There were no more roars of monsters. No more thuds of weapons. Only a long silence, and the light of a new dawn.