At the same time, Ataneya charged straight toward Ethan, her expression full of guilt and remorse.

"My Lord, I'm so sorry for making you wait. Leave the rest to me!"

"I'll make him pay for this!"

Vrrrmmm!

The moment the words left her lips, her six tails shimmered and rippled through the air. A surge of raw, chaotic energy exploded from her body—an overwhelming fusion of elemental forces that instantly filled the battlefield with a terrifying pressure.

Then, in the blink of an eye—

She flicked her tail.

Just a flick.

And a glowing orb of energy shot forward like a cannonball, slamming straight into Mordrakar.

Zzzzzzzzz!

BOOM!

RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!

The sheer force of the impact sent Mordrakar flying like a ragdoll, crashing into a massive mountain range not far off. The collision triggered a violent earthquake, and deep, abyss-like cracks split the earth open right before everyone's eyes.

It was terrifying.

"Gulp…"

"She's insane…"

Ethan couldn't help but swallow hard, his worldview practically shattering on the spot.

He knew better than anyone just how tough Mordrakar was—after all, he'd been getting his ass kicked by the guy for what felt like forever. He had firsthand experience with that monster's power.

And now?

Just one hit.

One.

Ataneya had knocked him back like it was nothing—and left him looking like a total wreck.

That alone said everything about how absurdly powerful she'd become. Her combat strength had clearly skyrocketed into an entirely different tier—something beyond what anyone else on the battlefield could even hope to match.

But regardless of how it happened…

He'd survived.

And with Ataneya stepping in, the tide of the war had finally begun to turn.

The Dungeon's elite—those S-rank and SS-rank Crimson Ultimate heroes—had already taken heavy losses at the hands of Seraphina, Elira, and the others. And now, Ataneya had wiped out even more of them.

They were running out of troops—fast.

Even worse for the enemy, both the Puppet Sovereign Kane and the Dungeon's Overlord-tier powerhouse, Mordrakar, were now locked in battle with opponents who could actually hold them down. They were pinned, unable to break free or shift the momentum.

Which meant…

The outcome of the smaller skirmishes across the battlefield?

Already decided.

And it was clear—they were winning.

Meanwhile, the fight between Elira and the Puppet Sovereign Kane had reached a fever pitch.

"Damn… this guy's no joke. I didn't think anyone could go toe-to-toe with Elira like that…"

Ethan had to admit—Kane was a beast. Maybe even stronger than Mordrakar. The fact that he could push Elira this far was nothing short of insane.

Still, if he had to pick who had the upper hand, even by a sliver—it had to be Elira.

"I just hope she can finish him off…" Ethan muttered under his breath. "If he gets away, we're screwed. That guy's the kind of threat that doesn't just disappear."

He knew it deep down—if they didn't take out both of those Tier 15 Crimson Ultimate monsters, this battle would be nothing more than a temporary win. A hollow victory.

With that in mind, he started watching Kane closely, scanning for any kind of weakness.

And then, after a while, something caught his eye.

"Wait a second… could that be it?"

As he observed, he noticed something about Kane's fighting style. His attacks relied heavily on swarms of puppet-like constructs—mechanical spiders that exploded on contact, flying puppet birds, insect-like drones… all kinds of weird, deadly creations.

And they all seemed to come from one place:

A small hatch on Kane's abdomen.

That hatch was pitch black inside, and the energy leaking from it was wild and unstable.

If there was a way to exploit that…

Maybe—just maybe—that was his weak spot.

As that thought struck him, Ethan narrowed his eyes.

Then—without hesitation—he made his move.

He seized a tiny opening, barely a flicker in the chaos, and launched a direct attack at the small hatch beneath the Puppet Sovereign Kane's abdomen.

BOOOOM!

"AAARGH!" Kane let out a guttural scream as his aura plummeted in an instant. The sudden drop in power was obvious—and both Ethan and Elira lit up with excitement the moment they saw it.

"That's it! Elira, that's his weak spot!" Ethan shouted.

And Elira was already on it.

BOOM!

In a flash of dark light, she unleashed a barrage of shadowy blasts, all zeroing in on that same hatch. The air cracked and shimmered as the attacks rained down like a storm of black lightning.

Kane staggered back, his face twisted in rage and panic.

"You coward!" he roared, voice trembling with fury. "You dare not face me head-on?!"

But Elira didn't even flinch. She didn't need to answer. She'd found his weakness—and now she was going to exploit it with everything she had.

No mercy. No hesitation.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

CRACK!

A jagged fracture split across the hatch.

"Shit!" Kane's pupils shrank to pinpricks. His face went pale.

He knew exactly what that meant.

That hatch wasn't just a design flaw—it was his core vulnerability. As a puppet, his body couldn't afford even the slightest damage. A single crack could unravel everything, send his power spiraling out of control.

VMMM!

He raised his hand, trying to tear open a rift in space to escape—but Elira was already there.

She slammed her fist into his gut.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

CRACK!

The force of the blow surged straight into the hatch, flooding his insides with destructive energy. It tore through him like wildfire, and within seconds—

BOOM!

He exploded from the inside out.

"No—!"

Kane's scream was cut short as his body began to shatter, piece by piece. His limbs cracked, his torso split, and his face twisted in agony as his form broke apart.

Elira didn't let up. She pressed the attack, relentless, until finally—

CRASH!

She delivered the finishing blow, obliterating what was left of him.

"Got him!" Ethan shouted, his voice bursting with excitement.

They'd done it. They'd actually taken down a Tier 15 Crimson Ultimate.

That alone was a massive win.

But more than that—Elira's victory completely flipped the battlefield.

"Elira! Go help Ataneya—take that bastard down!" Ethan called out.

"Yes, my Lord!" Elira vanished in a blur, streaking across the battlefield toward Ataneya's opponent—Mordrakar.

"No… no, this can't be happening!" Mordrakar's voice trembled with disbelief. "You killed Kane?! That's impossible!"

He couldn't wrap his head around it. Kane was supposed to be his trump card—a Tier 15 monster. Even if he couldn't win outright, he should've been able to stall.

But now?

He was dead?

It didn't make sense. It was unreal.

And now, Mordrakar wasn't just facing Ataneya—who was already more than he could handle—but Elira too, the one who had just taken down Kane.

What the hell was he supposed to do against that?

It was a death sentence.

And sure enough, moments later—

Mordrakar was overwhelmed.

Ataneya and Elira attacked in perfect sync, their combined power crashing into him like twin tidal waves. He tried to resist, but it was hopeless.

Their energy tore through him, ripping his body apart from the inside out.

Chunks of flesh and armor exploded in every direction.

He was annihilated.

"We won…" Ethan exhaled, his whole body relaxing for the first time in what felt like forever.

The war was over.

They'd actually won.

But just as that thought settled in—

RUMBLE…

A deep, earth-shaking tremor rolled across the battlefield.

Ethan's eyes snapped toward the horizon.

The ground in the distance was cracking open, trembling violently—like something massive and ancient was clawing its way up from beneath the surface.

...