[Activate-Avenger]

"Clang!!"

Inside the cylindrical ruins, the clanging of steel against steel was so loud it echoed throughout the space, making even the exploding sparks seem particularly dazzling.

Ais and Revis entered into a direct and intense battle almost instantly, a fierce and heated one. There was no probing, no hesitation, and not a single word wasted; they thrust their swords straight for each other's vitals.

The silver saber and the black longsword unleashed astonishing power the instant they clashed, the recoil force of which was extraordinary.

However, Revis withstood the force, Ais couldn't withstand it at all. Her body was directly blasted away, and she had to tap her toes on the ground several times before she could dissipate the force and stabilize her retreating body.

At this moment, Ais had already activated her "wind" magic. The surging air currents had already wrapped around her body, transforming into a sturdy Wind Armor that strengthened her physique.

Even so, Ais, who had exchanged a blow with Revis, was still easily sent flying by her opponent.

"Your strength is considerably greater than last time. It seems you underwent considerable training after escaping this demonic abyss."

Revis made a cold and extremely realistic assessment.

"Unfortunately, they are ultimately human, no match for me with my monstrous power."

As she spoke, Revis's figure blurred, her red hair leaving a blood-red afterimage in the air. Then, with an astonishing speed invisible to the naked eye, she appeared before Ais and slashed at her with her sword.

!"

Ais's expression changed slightly. She only felt a blur before her eyes, and the enemy was already in front of her, swinging a deadly slash at her.

At that moment, Ais almost instinctively leaped backward, shifting her feet to avoid the oncoming sword.

However, before the first strike could land, Revis's next attack followed.

"Bang!"

With a muffled thud, a punch hidden beneath the slash landed heavily on Ais, sending her flying.

"Ugh--!"

Ais let out a muffled groan, and her movements became somewhat erratic.

Although it was a punch, Revis's monstrous physique was already terrifying. When this punch landed on Ais, it felt like being hit by a mountain, incredibly heavy.

If it weren't for the "wind" protecting her and blocking the direct hit of Revis's fist, Ais would have been seriously injured by that punch alone.

"--Your power has also become stronger than last time."

Ais raised her sword, tip pointing upwards, and uttered these words.

"Do you think you're the only one who'll get stronger?" Revis approached Ais step by step, her tone icy. "To prevent you from ever having a chance to turn things around again, I won't allow myself to stand still."

Clearly, the experience of being countered by Ais in the food warehouse on the 24th Floor, and almost losing the duel because of Ais's upgrade, left a deep impression on Revis.

In order to avoid losing to Ais again, Revis desperately devoured Magic Stones, absorbed Demonic Power, increased her strength, and strengthened herself. Finally, she suppressed Ais during the last attack on the Artificial Labyrinth by the Loki Familia and overtook her.

Unfortunately, even with the help of Leo Star, Ais was not completely defeated by Revis and managed to escape the Artificial Labyrinth alive.

To avoid being overtaken by Ais again, Revis never slacked off after that, absorbing Magic Stones and Demonic Power every day to continuously strengthen herself, waiting for Ais's next challenge.

In other words, Revis is now stronger than when she last fought Ais, and the increase in strength is even greater Ais's.

Ais's proficiency in all abilities increased by more than 500, and her improvement in strength is undeniable. However, Revis can become stronger quickly simply by consuming Magic Stones, an efficiency that adventurers who train hard cannot match.

"This time, without that eyesore of a lion, let's see how you beat me."

Revis made a strong statement, creating a powerful sense of pressure.

Under these circumstances, Ais slowly closed her eyes.

As Revis said, even though she had trained herself to the bone and improved her strength, she was still far behind Revis, whose potential was equivalent to Lv.7. Not to mention that Revis had also taken the time to strengthen herself and become stronger than before.

No matter what, it won't change the fact that he's about to suffer a crushing defeat.

But--

I told you, I won't lose to you again.

Ais opened her eyes.

The way she looked at Revis changed.

It no longer felt like looking at a fellow human being with whom you could communicate, but rather like looking at a monster that could speak human language.

That is indeed the case.

Revis was not originally human, but a monster born from the fusion of human and monster characteristics.

She is a hybrid of human and monster, a non-human being, and Enhanced Species capable of consuming Magic Stones to enhance her power.

With combat power far surpassing Ais and stronger than even the top-tier adventurers of the Loki Familia, she is a true "monster."

Yes, she is a monster.

She is not human.

"Click--"

The humanoid silhouette reflected in Ais's eyes seemed to shatter and rapidly disintegrate.

The human form is merely an outward appearance; the inside is truly an alien.

"From this moment on, you are no longer my opponent, but an enemy I must defeat."

Ais's voice lowered.

His voice was so low, as if he were suppressing some kind of emotion.

"What?"

Revis sensed something was wrong and froze.

In her view, the girl who was as agile as the wind suddenly gave off a different feeling.

It became oppressive.

It became terrifying.

Within Ais's golden eyes, specks of black light began to emanate.

A perfectly black circle encircled the iris, replacing those clear eyes with a dark will.

A flame burns within my heart.

On the back, the inscription on the stele is still burning hot.

At that moment, the girl seemed to contort herself, accompanied by a silent roar, as she was enveloped by a terrifying torrent of power.

"[Start(Tempest)]."

Ais sang softly.

--[Avenger]."

This incantation ignited the dark flames within Ais's heart, causing the forbidden power hidden within her to flow out like a flood, coursing through the girl's entire body.

"Boom!!"

The wind that had been swirling around Ais suddenly surged, turning into a hurricane and instantly turning black.

The pitch-black storm swirled like a whirlwind, forming a spiral that strangled everything.

Gusts of air, like blades of wind, unleashed a violent force that shattered everything in its path.

A black hurricane suddenly arose, instantly filling the entire cylindrical space.

The beautiful melody of the wind is gone, replaced by a vortex of hatred. The Fairy Wind has transformed into a dark, raging storm, turning the beautiful girl into a witch from hell, dangerous and ominous.

!!!

Revis's pupils slowly shrank to the size of pinpoints before a look of shock slowly appeared on her face.

"Aria! You--"

Before she could even finish speaking, Ais had already moved.

"Bang!!"

She slammed her foot into the ground, instantly shattering it and causing an explosion. Her entire being, enveloped in black energy, transformed into a raging gust of wind, leaving everything else far behind.

The terrifying acceleration generated a shockwave that transformed into wind pressure, causing Ais to shoot out like a jet-black arrow, appearing before Revis in the blink of an eye.

By the time Revis reacted, the girl bathed in black wind had already raised her sword, which was also wrapped in black wind, high and slashed down.

This sword strike, while seemingly no different in speed from the previous one, shattered the very fabric of space as it cleaved down, its power astounding.

"Boom!!"

As the sword fell, the ground shattered.

Yes, it shouldn't be able to be destroyed. The Artificial Labyrinth was made of either super-hard metal or the hardest metal. However, under Ais's attack, it was cleaved in two like ordinary ground, leaving a crater.

Debris and dust flew everywhere, and a terrifying shockwave also rose up, blowing Revis, who had barely managed to dodge the attack at the last second, backward.

"Impossible!"

Blown into the air, only that sentence remained in Revis's mind; everything else was a complete blank and a jumble of thoughts.

At that very instant, the black hurricane swept in once more.

Ais flashed in front of Revis, her face extremely cold. Her golden eyes, with black rings floating above them, were fixed on Revis's face, sending chills down Revis's spine. At the same time, Revis slashed out with her sword.

This time, Revis couldn't escape it.

"Pfft!"

A flash of black light, and the shrieks in the air were left far behind the sword strike, allowing the silver military knife to easily sever Revis's arm.

"Aria!!"

The excruciating pain jolted Revis out of her daze, causing the red-haired monster to roar and howl in fury.

She raised her sword to meet the attack, gripping the black longsword with her only remaining hand, and in a fit of rage, she slashed down, aiming for Ais's head.

What seemed like an incredibly terrifying attack before is no longer a threat to Ais now.

"Clang!!"

With a casual wave of her hand, Ais's silver saber deflected the black longsword with terrifying force and then slashed down with a vengeance.

"Pfft!" "Pfft!" "Pfft!"--

The black sword flashes continuously tore through the air and slashed through space, like streaks of black light, successively slicing open Revis's shoulder, side abdomen, and thigh.

The sword's wind was fierce, and its momentum was terrifying.

Ais pressed her advantage relentlessly, unleashing dozens of sword strikes in an instant. All of these strikes landed on Revis's body, leaving bloody wounds on her terrifying monstrous form and inflicting massive damage.

"I--Guest, "Revis couldn't help but let out a painful howl, trying to fight back repeatedly, but each time Ais easily thwarted her attacks.

Her sword strikes and punches, which had previously overwhelmed Ais, now seemed to pose no threat to Ais. She could easily deflect them with a wave of her hand; they were either blocked or deflected.

"Bang!!"

Ais's foot struck Revis's chest like a meteor, sending her flying backward like a ball, coughing up blood and slamming into the wall.

"Gurgle--ah--!"

Revis let out a series of miserable cries, her body instantly becoming covered in blood, a truly pitiful sight.

"Impossible! Impossible!"

Despite her severe injuries and the pain from her wounds, Revis paid no attention to them. Instead, she was shocked and incredulous at the power that Ais had displayed.

"What kind of power is this? Why do you possess such power?!"

Revis seemed unable to accept all of this, and shouted out her questions.

Ais was enveloped in a black hurricane, her eyes flashed with dark rings, and a black flame burned in her heart, yet her expression showed a calm and composed demeanor that was the opposite of what one might expect.

This is something Ais never had in the past.

"--This is a power unique to me, a power that hates everything, Power of Destruction everything, a terrifying power capable of burning myself to ashes."

Ais lowered her eyes and spoke softly.

"Because it is too dangerous, and can only be used on those I regard as monsters, this power has always been sealed away, and even many of my companions are unaware of its existence."

In other words, it's perfectly reasonable that Revis, as an enemy, would be unaware of the existence of this power.

"In the past, I never thought of using this power against you, because in my eyes, you, who can communicate with me and look exactly like a human, are not monsters, even if you are an enemy."

Even knowing that you're a freak, a combination of human and monster, that perception has never changed.

"But someone told me that if I continue to treat you as someone I can communicate with, then I will never be able to beat you."

Ais lifted her drooping eyelids, revealing shimmering black rings inside.

"But I don't want to lose to you anymore."

"So, I've decided to stop treating you like a human being."

"Right now, you are a monster to be defeated, an enemy to be vanquished."

As she spoke, the dark hurricane surrounding Ais continued to expand, and power surged continuously from within her body.

Ais was very familiar with this dark power.

But, incredibly, it no longer seems dangerous.

Ais could clearly feel that she could perfectly control this power.

This is something I couldn't achieve Leo.

Although she had been trying to control this power with Leo's help, she would still lose control every time she tried, forcing Leo to intervene, suppress Ais, and awaken her.

But now, she has done it, perfectly controlling this forbidden power.

Ais knew it was all because of that skill – [Fairy Wind Star Wish].

As long as the vow with that person remains, and as long as that person is by her side, this skill will take effect, strengthening her spirit, firming her mind, and preventing her from losing control again.

This power, once used for revenge, was finally transformed into something that Ais could perfectly control, thanks to that man's unwavering vow.

With this power--

"With this power, I will never lose to you again."

Ais raised the Black Wind Sword, her expression cold and resolute.

"Aria!"

In her rage, Revis lost her reason.

Faced with the crazed monster, Ais simply rode the wind, gripped her sword, and forcefully charged towards him.