"It was over."
Eva's voice was not loud, yet it clearly pierced the twilight shrouded in divine pressure above Spirit City, reaching every palace guard knight and Soul Master struggling atop and below the city walls.
Those three words were like an invisible key, snapping the taut tension hanging over everyone's heads.
As if injected with fresh momentum, the Fairytale Empire's army surged forward. The dark-blue tide abruptly accelerated the instant Eva finished speaking, flooding toward Spirit City's gates, which no one was left to defend.
Eva floated high in the air, her emerald eyes calmly looking down at the ancient city being swallowed by the dark-blue tide.
She no longer needed to act.
Divine-level pressure was like an invisible cage, pinning the palace guard knights who had once tried to resist in place. Their knees seemed nailed to the ground, their hands hung limply at their sides, and they had completely lost even the strength to raise their arms.
"Open the gates!" A resounding command rang out from afar.
Several Assault System Soul Masters from the Fairytale Empire rushed to the city gates. Their Soul Rings lit up in succession, and several attacks condensed with violent power struck the heavy gates at the same time.
Spirit City's gates shook violently beneath the impact of several soul skills, and the hinges groaned under the unbearable strain.
A second wave of attacks followed immediately. A dazzling shower of sparks burst from the iron bolts, iron filings at the edges shattered under the impact, and the entire gate slowly tilted inward before finally being forced completely open with a dull crash.
The instant the dark-blue tide poured through the gates, the residents of Spirit City, who had once run through the streets shouting in panic, all retreated into their homes. Doors were