Steel Catastrophe, Gabri's Shock

"It's over!"

As Engqi watched Famu get cut down on the spot by a steel monster, only one thought remained in her mind.

She knew that from the moment Famu died, her position as the Phantom Eagle Clan's third elder was no longer secure.

After all, Famu was the one Chief Gana doted on most among her direct descendants, and the clan's greatest genius.

Even if Famu had brought her death on herself and Engqi bore no blame for it, Engqi had accompanied her as her protector. Failing to bring Famu safely back to the clan was her greatest mistake.

"No, that isn't the most important thing. The real question is, what the hell are these steel monsters? They don't have bodies of flesh and blood, so how can they wield magic? And why is every one of them at High Mage level?"

The steel monster that had just killed Famu gave off a magical aura that had reached the Transcendent Tier...

No. In the instant that monster struck, its destructive power had even rivaled the Crown Tier!

When Engqi sensed the "monster" fixing its gaze on her, a chill ran down her spine. She spread her wings and shot into the sky without a second thought. Almost the instant she took flight, the steel monster wielding a greatsword appeared where she had been standing as though it had teleported, then brought its blade down with a mighty swing. Crack!

Engqi stared in horror as a burst of purple light swept across the battlefield. A terrifying fissure over ten meters long split open the ground where she had just stood, strange purple arcs crackling along its edges.

If she had failed to dodge at once and let that sword strike her...

Engqi was certain she would have died on the