BANG!
A deep blue battle-axe shattered the head of a [Golden Wolflord].
"This isn't working."
Bianca, hovering in the sky, had now entered her "Fourth Stage," which was also her strongest combat form as a human. Her mount, "Krishna," a mechanical species that had advanced to a [Primordial Species], was now transformed into a full suit of armor complete with a spear and shield.
Incidentally, this was a legacy of the power of [Root Regression] manifested in the form of the Monarch's [Black Temple]. Bianca was also, to date, the only member of the Kaslana family to have ever displayed this power.
"They're about to break."
Kiana, Sirin, and the others were holding their own. With the power of their strong bloodlines, even though they hadn't reached the level of [Primordial Species], fighting above their weight class was no problem. The enemy grunts, relying on numbers alone, were simply unable to suppress them.
The problem was the gap on Bronya's side. Bronya and Project Bunny could barely keep up due to their "lineage," but the combat strength of Seele, Sin Mal, and the Rozaliya sisters was a clear tier below.
In the current situation… St. Freya belonged to neither faction. So, after assessing the battlefield, both the three gods and Khaenri'ah had decided to prioritize eliminating this unknown external force.
The Pyro God, the Hydro God, and two "golden-haired" individuals from Khaenri'ah, whose power was no less than that of the Demon Gods, had launched a fierce assault on Bianca. And she still had to divert power to maintain all sixteen of her [Chess Pieces] to prevent the situation on the ground from collapsing.
CLANG!!
Her unmoving greatshield sent a slashing one-handed sword flying.
Considering that four other Demon Gods had yet to appear, if they were to join forces… any casualties would be a dereliction of her duty as the Student Council President.
Therefore—
VMMM!
---o---
The spear and shield vanished, the chess pieces dissipated.
All her external armaments were stuffed back into her world bubble. The world bubble anchored to Bianca could also serve as an oversized personal storage space.
Normally, Bianca would not use this power on such a massive scale, as it would cause fluctuations within the world bubble. But faced with the current situation…
"Let's end this quickly!"
ZING!!!
Golden and silver brilliance converged upon Bianca's body. As a terrifying solar storm slowly dissipated, at the center of the gale that had swept the sky clean, a silver swan gently flapped its piano key-like wings.
The root of Bianca's power, which allowed her to match and even temporarily suppress a Legion Commander-level opponent (Kallen's power was on par with Ana's, but she was no match for a serious Bianca), was her Chimera bloodline—a [Higher Primordial Species] that had advanced from a foundation of three bloodlines: [Newborn Species], [Native Species], and [Mechanical Species].
Durandal, Collapsed State!
"SKREEE!!!"
A sound wave like the ringing of a sword spread from her layered wings, and the battlefield, a cacophony of clashing steel, fell instantly silent.
The holy sword, "Durandal." The supreme masterpiece of Imperial industry, an alchemical product of the Authority of Reason. It possessed the power to "change macroscopic properties by manipulating microscopic particles." In her human form, it was a weapon that could fully unleash the power of seven Authorities. In her Collapsed State, it was the medium for a deep communication between herself and her world bubble.
The gold on the silver swan's body was the manifestation of "Durandal" and the world bubble's power.
As for how strong it was… in this form, Bianca was equivalent to the world bubble itself.
---o---
An immense oppressive feeling swept across the entire battlefield. This power, capable of making one's brain shut down, could only be compared to one other existence in the eyes of the Demon Gods and Khaenri'ahns:
The master of Sky Island, the Maintainer of the Heavenly Principles.
An unassailable ruler to some, a hypothetical enemy to be fought with all their might to others. Combat power on that same level had just appeared so brazenly before them. The shock it caused was imaginable.
However, Bianca did not attack immediately. The consumption of the world bubble's Imaginary energy was only one factor. Although the coordinates were anchored to Bianca, creating an imaginary space to supply it with power was hardly cutting-edge technology in the Empire.
What was important was that upon completing her transformation, Bianca's perception could already envelop the entire planet. The other four of the Seven Archons were about to arrive, but they could no longer be considered a threat… The familiar auras of the four Legion Commanders were right beside the Demon Gods approaching from different directions.
This show of force… wasn't a waste. It should be called "subduing the enemy without fighting."
After a brief 40 seconds, the expressions of the Pyro, Cryo, and Hydro Gods underwent a very obvious change: from "our reinforcements have arrived" to "our reinforcements seem to have defected."
It was just that simple.
"Looks like we're a bit late."
The fastest, naturally, was Chen Tianwu. Although he had brought along a giant dragon (Morax) and a group of Adepti (on Morax's back) during the teleportation, it hadn't slowed him down in the slightest. From locating to opening the portal, he had only teleported four times, arriving on the scene in less than two minutes.
"At least you're faster than us."
Khamsin appeared second. He had brought Greater Lord Rukkhadevata with him, arriving only about five seconds after Chen Tianwu. It wasn't a gap in power or Authority, but rather the earlier severing of his memory had slightly affected his control.
"Given your wife's efficiency, she shouldn't be this slow."
Khamsin glanced around at the two factions, then turned his gaze to the distance as he spoke slowly. Wendy's aura was approaching. When within a planetary environment, the "Sky Sovereign" generally disdained the use of teleportation. Constantly feeling the wind was the key to her Authority reaching its current level.
"Something must have delayed her."
Chen Tianwu wasn't being vague; Ana's journey had indeed been delayed by other matters. On the way from Inazuma to Khaenri'ah, her group had to find Raiden Makoto, who had set off secretly but had not gotten far.
Soon, after what felt like an eternity of waiting for those on the ground below, the final gateway for the "grand reunion" finally opened in the sky. Ana arrived on the scene with the Raiden sisters.
"The fight hasn't started yet?"
"No, Miss Durandal has the situation under control."
The one who answered his wife's question was, naturally, Chen Tianwu. Although Bianca had already reverted to her human form, the bizarre standoff prevented either of the original sides from making a rash move.
"Is that so…"
Ana, of course, had also sensed the powerful aura that had previously erupted from Khaenri'ah. She had assumed it was an impatient Sky Island making the first move, but she never expected it to be the star of the Kaslana family.
"Miss Bianca."
"You truly live up to your reputation."