The Great Purge Begins, and Trouble at the Ore Mountains

"He escaped..."

In the underground altar, Elena felt Robson's presence vanish. The raging power around her abruptly gave way to unprecedented weakness, and her expression darkened. If Robson had stayed to fight to the death instead of fleeing, she truly would have had no way to deal with him.

The first Thousand Blades: Star-Splitting Slash, which had frozen space, had nearly exhausted her magic. The second strike she had displayed by burning her essence was only a bluff to intimidate him. Otherwise, she would have unleashed it when Robson forcibly took the stone, rather than give him a chance to escape. She had even been ready to feint and run.

Fortunately, that damned Evil God's lackey had fallen for it.

"So the heroes of a thousand years ago were fighting monsters like that all along?"

Elena looked at the Heavenly Star Sword in her hand, her feelings tangled.

Before today, she had been quietly proud of taking seventh place soon after reaching Crown Tier. She possessed one of the three great Miracle Formulas and had fought on battlefields since she was fourteen. In strategy, combat experience, and the power of her formula, she belonged among the world's strongest.

After all, the sword strike she had just unleashed contained everything she had learned. Against three Crown Tier fighters, she could have killed them all in an instant. A little pride hardly seemed unreasonable.

But fighting Robson, that Evil God's lackey, had shown her the truth. Against mortals, her power could indeed be called divine. Against beings beyond mortals, it was a drop in the ocean.

I'm still far too weak!

I have to complete the Thousand Blades Formula!

Only then could she truly break through humanity's limits and enter the Divine Realm she had always dreamed of!

Elena slowly breathed out,