CHAPTER 75: THE HUMILIATION OF EIRENYSSA

The sky was calm, a slow wind brushing past as Zayne Creed floated leisurely high above the forests. A few half-eaten snacks rested in his dimensional pouch, and his mood was light.

"It’s been four hours since I left Eldrin," he muttered, stretching his arms as if to loosen boredom itself. "Scenery’s not too bad though..."

But then, his expression sharpened.

A ripple of energy—hostile, sharp, and unrestrained—flared on the horizon. He tilted his head toward a small village nestled in the valley.

"Well, well... something’s headed there."

He drifted slightly higher and saw her.

A woman descending from the skies—stormy-gray hair, gray eyes, beauty carved to perfection—yet her face twisted with fury. She didn’t even notice him as she landed in the village square, the air around her heavy with disdain.

The villagers froze, staring in awe.

"Look! She’s flying!"

"Is she a Saintess? No—too terrifying..."

"Beautiful... so beautiful..."

The children laughed and pointed, clapping.

But then—one villager, trembling, stepped forward. "Welcome, esteemed guest," he said, and with nervous reverence, reached out and brushed her shoulder with a single finger.

That was the last mistake he would ever make.

Zayne’s eyes narrowed.

Her fury exploded. With a single palm raised, the entire village was engulfed in searing light. Homes crumbled, bodies vanished into ash, and the earth itself turned black.

When the smoke cleared, only she remained, standing proudly in the scorched crater.

"You mortals," her voice thundered, dripping with hatred. "You have no right to even touch me... Eirenyssa. Remember that name in your deaths. Disgusting creatures."

Zayne leaned his cheek against his palm, floating a distance away, and chuckled softly.

"So... her name is Eirenyssa. And looks like we’ve got ourselves a good old-fashioned mortal hater. Tsk tsk tsk."

He sighed theatrically. "Well, this should be fun. Let’s play a little."

In a blur, he reappeared, standing calmly in the air ahead of her path.

She halted, irritated.

"Now, now..." Zayne’s tone was almost playful. "Why don’t you stop and tell me where you’re going... after blowing the life out of that village?"

Her eyes narrowed, cold and venomous. "I don’t have time for you, mortal." She raised her palm, and a radiant magic circle ignited, its pale light throbbing with destructive force. "Disappear."

The spell blasted forward, engulfing Zayne completely. The sky shook with the shockwave.

Eirenyssa turned away, already dismissing him as ash. But then—

"You know..." came a calm, mocking voice from behind her. "I asked you a question. A good girl should answer."

She spun around, eyes wide. The smoke parted, revealing Zayne standing there, utterly unharmed. Not even a speck of his coat had been touched.

Her disbelief cracked through her mask of arrogance. "What... who are you?"

Zayne’s smirk widened, light purple eyes glinting with amusement.

"I am Zayne Creed."

Zayne’s eyes narrowed the moment he sensed it.

Eirenyssa’s mana wasn’t ordinary. It wasn’t just dense—it was pure, unnaturally refined, far beyond what any mortal should ever possess. His mind instantly ran through possibilities. Demigod? An immortal? Someone tied to the higher realms?

That would explain her disdain. That would explain why she spoke of mortals as if they were insects.

Her lips curled with restrained fury.

"Even if I attack casually, a normal mortal should never be able to stop it with such ease. Yet you took it... fully. Tell me—who really are you? Did he send you to find his invention?"

Zayne’s gaze sharpened at that single word—he.

So, she’s working under someone. Interesting.

A faint smirk tugged at his lips.

"Nope. Not working with anyone you know."

Eirenyssa’s brows furrowed, her aura trembling with irritation.

"Then you really are just a mortal. No matter what trick you used to defend against my last strike, now I will—"

Before she could finish, Zayne cut in smoothly, voice dripping with mockery.

"You talk too much. Just fight and let me beat you."

Her eyes blazed with fury.

"You—! You mortal, you don’t know my full power. You will be crushed!"

Zayne tilted his head, lips curving into a mocking grin.

"Then come on. Show me what you’ve got."

Her voice turned sharp, venomous, as she spat,

"Quite a big talk from the bipedal monkey that you are."

Zayne chuckled, tilting his chin as if weighing her insult.

"Big words from a bipedal bitch."

Her eyes widened, trembling with indignation.

"Y-you mortal—!"

But before her rage could erupt further, her world went black.

A hand. Cold. Firm. Pressed against her face.

Her eyes widened in shock—she hadn’t even seen him move.

Zayne’s calm, unbothered voice reached her ears, low and dangerous.

"You’re too dangerous to fight here."

He tossed his travel bag into the air. With a soft hum, the bag unfurled and remained suspended, its dimensional space activating. Without another word, Zayne dragged her by the face, stepping straight into the glowing void of the dimensional bag—disappearing from the mortal world in an instant.

Dimensional space in bag,

Inside the vast white space of the dimensional bag, shimmering lights rippled across the endless expanse, almost like fragments of a prism spilling their colors in every direction. In one corner, Zayne’s belongings were neatly organized—his clothes folded, spare items stacked, and even a half-eaten meal resting casually as if frozen in time.

The space itself felt impossibly wide, far more than any mortal storage could ever contain.

Zayne’s hand suddenly stopped mid-motion, gripping Eirenyssa’s chin. Her eyes widened, and with a sharp pull she jerked back, stepping away. Her voice trembled between shock and disbelief.

"W-What is this place...? What did you do...?!" Her sharp eyes darted around the empty horizon. "I can’t sense anything aside from you... not the world, not the threads of fate—nothing!"

Zayne smirked, a shadow of amusement dancing across his lips.

"Well... we’re in my little dimensional bag."

"D-Dimensional bag?" Eirenyssa’s tone cracked, eyes widening further. "That’s impossible...! It should only hold trinkets, items... not—this. Not something this big!"

Her disbelief only deepened when Zayne gave her nothing but a casual shrug and a smile that carried secrets she couldn’t read.

"Come on," he said smoothly, "let’s fight."

Her expression hardened instantly, fury replacing her awe. "You mortal... you’ve incurred my wrath!"

At once, the air rippled. The ethereal outfit draped over her body began to glow, threads of light unraveling and reweaving as if the fabric itself was alive. The elegant divine attire shifted into a battle form—armor-like yet impossibly graceful, with glowing runes tracing along her arms and a flowing skirt edged with radiant glyphs.

Mana erupted around her, flaring into a blazing aura that swallowed the prismatic hues of the space, pushing them back as if declaring her presence to be supreme.

"Get ready," she declared, her voice resonating like a bell of judgment.

Zayne’s eyes gleamed as his smirk grew sharper.

"I am."

With a burst of speed, Eirenyssa launched herself forward, the space trembling under her acceleration. Her glowing silhouette streaked toward Zayne, her hand clenched into a strike that promised divine fury.

And Zayne—unmoving, unbothered—watched her approach with the calm of someone who had already decided the outcome.

Eirenyssa’s aura surged, her eyes burning with divine brilliance. As she dashed forward, a sword of pure white radiance formed in her hand, humming with unshakable intent.

"Sword Technique: Radiant Severance — Luminous Crescent!"

She swung with all her might, unleashing sweeping arcs of blinding light. Crescent-shaped blades tore through the battlefield, scattering across the air like falling moons, each one sharp enough to slice through barriers and shadows alike.

They screamed toward Zayne—yet he didn’t move.

The crescents crashed into him... only to rebound, as if colliding with an invisible wall. The radiant blades twisted away harmlessly, dispersing into shimmering fragments of light.

Eirenyssa’s eyes widened. Impossible...

But she did not stop. With a breath that carried both desperation and determination, she closed the distance.

"Radiant Severance — Blinding Flurry!"

Her sword blazed brighter, erupting into a storm of slashes. Countless strikes lashed out, each faster than the last, weaving a dazzling net of afterimages that blurred her true position. It was a technique designed to overwhelm even the sharpest perception, burying the foe in relentless light.

Yet—Zayne only raised a single finger.

Clang.

One strike stopped.

Clang. Clang. Clang.

Every slash, no matter how fast or deceptive, was blocked effortlessly. His finger traced a lazy rhythm through the air, intercepting each flash of light as if he had already seen where it would land.

The battlefield echoed with the crisp, mocking sound of blade meeting fingertip.

Zayne’s smirk deepened. His expression carried no effort, no concern—only amusement, as though the furious storm of light was nothing more than a child’s tantrum before him.

Zayne’s smirk deepened.

"My turn. Don’t worry... I’ll be gentle."

Eirenyssa’s eyes widened—then he was gone.

A crushing thud erupted in her gut before her mind could register his movement. Agony tore through her body; she had never felt such raw, merciless force. Her vision blurred as the air was ripped from her lungs.

Zayne stood casually with his arms folded, his leg extended from the kick, posture unbothered as if he had barely moved.

Before she could even collapse, his figure rotated in a smooth arc—another kick, this time smashing against her face. A sharp crack echoed as she felt her teeth loosen, her head whipping back violently.

Her body was flung away like a ragdoll, crashing through the air, utterly helpless before his effortless strikes.