Above the ruins, a broken giant stone pillar came crashing down.
Elliana caught the rapidly approaching shadow from the corner of her eye. Her wings flapped sharply, and she sidestepped the falling pillar. It grazed her hair and smashed into the ground below, shattering into pieces.
At the center of the ruins stood the enormous door. Reya, who was being gripped tightly by the scruff of her neck as Elliana flew through the air, watched the time dial in her hands spin wildly. It finally stopped, pointing to—
Several hours earlier.
Elliana dragged her injured body, forcing herself to stand from the rubble. The once pristine white diamond wings had shattered into fragments, slowly dissipating behind her.
Yilena fed her a recovery potion.
“This potion is a bit strong, but it will heal your internal injuries more effectively.”
Her bones rapidly mended under the influence of magic.
“Phew…”
Elliana let out a long breath, finally recovering from the fall earlier.
Reya came up from behind, arriving at her side.
Then, together, they looked into the distance.
The massive beast Rabi stood five meters tall, its entire body burning with eerie blue flames. Behind it was Yiruo, her twin pitch-black blood wings spread wide, her eyes glowing crimson.
“…This is too much…”
Reya muttered under her breath, but her grip on her warhammer never relaxed.
Yilena stood up, slowly taking Elliana and Reya’s hands. Her palms were warm and firm, conveying a reassuring strength.
She placed the time dial that guided their way gently into Elliana’s palm.
“Go on. That battle is yours.”
She looked up and reached out to gently tousle Elliana’s silver-white hair.
“You have the power to cut through anything—including those shackles that shouldn’t bind her.”
Yilena turned around and faced the rampaging blue flames and the beast’s roar, a somewhat serious smile forming on her lips.
Reya blinked, then grinned. “Of course!”
They stepped forward together toward the battlefield burning with the fire of jealousy.
— Time returns to now. —
“Saving Little Yiruo—that’s up to you two now.”
At that moment, Elliana finally saw the massive black door again.
The originally black door had undergone a huge change.
On the pitch-black, deep doorframe, glaring blue magic veins emerged, pulsing like the blood vessels of a heart.
The door was slowly opening, thick black mist continuously pouring out from the gap, filled with chaos and evil.
Worse still, monsters were crawling out of that mist.
Shadow bats flew out in flocks, blocking the already dim light. Elliana noticed that even high-level monsters called “Rift Bats,” which she had read about in adventure books, were mixed in, circling around with their sharp wings.
Now, they had also spotted the two in the air.
“We’re being targeted!”
“Hang on!” Elliana flapped her wings, dodging the attacks of two shadow bats.
The pointer of the time dial in Reya’s arms was now locked onto the center of the door.
There—an enormous, abnormal eye.
It was embedded in the upper part of the door frame, radiating an abyssal black magic. Every time it blinked, the door opened a fraction more, spewing out more mist and monsters.
“That’s the target…” Elliana said softly.
Just then, the eyeball rotated slightly.
It—saw her.
The next second—
ROAAAAAAAAAR!!!!
A deafening roar exploded!
The door suddenly opened wider, and from the thick mist, a massive dragon head violently emerged!
Then came a body covered in jet-black scales, and wings of bone that blotted out the sky.
A dragon-shaped monster, formed entirely from magic, had descended!
It smashed through the shadow bats and rift bats that couldn’t dodge in time, its vertical pupils burning with black flames locked firmly onto the two in the air.
Then it opened its huge jaws and lunged to devour them!
Elliana sharply tilted and accelerated, barely dodging the attack that would have crushed them!
The magic dragon missed, smashing through several giant pillars, sending rubble raining down like a waterfall. But it quickly adjusted its direction and chased after them again.
— On the other side of the ruins. —
Blue flames raged.
Yilena stood amidst the devastation, her pink hair wildly flying in the magical storm. The magic instrument in her hands was fully released, her will merged with it, allowing her to unleash her full power.
The crystal instrument flowed with a kaleidoscope of colors, the crystal at its tip continuously condensing meteor-sized crystalline stars.
She swung the instrument.
Dozens of crystal stars shot out, precisely intercepting the giant scissors Rabi swung in midair.
BOOM!!!
The explosion illuminated the entire space.
But Rabi did not stop.
It stomped the ground, leaving deep cracks in the stone bricks with each step.
The giant scissors swung again, carrying a terrifying power of destruction!
Yilena sidestepped, and a pillar behind her was cut clean through at its base!
A pink magic circle appeared beneath her feet, and a thick ice wall rose from the ground.
The next instant—
The ice wall was shattered in one blow.
But amidst the flying ice crystals, Yilena had already appeared behind Rabi, her instrument aimed at the back of its neck.
“Bind.”
Black runes instantly spread over its entire body.
Rabi let out a pained shriek, its pupils flickering intensely.
“…Sorry,” Yilena said softly. “Just fall down now.”
“Star—Burst.”
A pink orb exploded violently!
Rabi was blasted away, crashing heavily into the distant wall, buried under rubble.
After a moment, it reverted back to a small rabbit doll, lying there quietly.
However—
Blue flames attacked from behind!
Yiruo floated in the air, her wings spread wide, her crimson pupils locked onto her.
Flames gathered in her hands, condensing into a pair of scissors as large as herself.
Yilena rubbed her forehead. “The rebellious phase really is troublesome…”
The next instant—
Yiruo appeared right in front of her, slashing down!
The crystal barrier shattered like paper!
The battle erupted again.
In just over a dozen seconds, the ruins were completely destroyed.
The ground split, pillars collapsed, and chaos reigned in the space.
Finally—
THUD!
In a fierce clash, the scissors flew out of her hands and embedded themselves into the wall.
Yiruo was stunned.
The next second, she lunged again—opening her mouth to bite Yilena.
But Yilena lowered her instrument.
She opened her arms.
And embraced her.
At that moment—
A terrifying surge of magic erupted from deep within the ruins!
Yiruo’s body stiffened.
Her black wings dissipated, and the crimson faded from her eyes.
She lost consciousness and collapsed into Yilena’s arms.
“…Go to sleep.”
— Half an hour earlier. —
Reya was desperately clinging to the back of the magic dragon, holding onto its scales for dear life.
“AAAAAHHHH—!!!”
“Elliana—! I can’t hold on!”
Elliana did not respond.
She was dodging black beams shot by the magic eye.
She couldn’t get close.
—Then I’ll change my approach.
She suddenly looked up.
A crazy plan formed.
She turned and lured the magic dragon straight toward the magic eye.
The next moment—
BOOM!!!
The magic dragon crashed head-on into the magic eye!
The magic eye cracked!
“Reya—!”
“Smash it!”
Reya roared, her warhammer gathering all her will and power.
“HYYYYYAAAAAA—!!!”
BOOM!!!
The magic eye shattered!
The door closed.
Everything ended.
— High in the air, the two fell from exhaustion. —
The wind howled past.
Just before they hit the ground—
A pink figure flashed by.
Yilena caught them.
“Well done.”
— Some time passed. —
The ruins grew quiet.
The four lay quietly on a large, flat rock.
Elliana was fast asleep.
Reya hugged her warhammer, drooling.
Yiruo curled up in Yilena’s lap.
Like a child.
Yilena gently stroked her hair.
She looked up at the starry sky visible through the broken dome above.
“Honestly…”
“I was just looking for a jade stone.”
“And I ended up picking up a little trouble.”
She gently pinched Yiruo’s cheek.
The girl frowned slightly and burrowed deeper into her arms.
Yilena couldn’t help but laugh.
“But…”
She looked at the stars.
“If trouble like this—”
“—is pretty cute.”
The evening breeze blew past.
The shattered ruins, the sleeping girl, the mysterious witch.
And that patch of starlight.
Like a gentle ending to an adventure story.
✋😩✋
CINEMA