"Divine Slash: Celestial Mirage."

She struck from seven different angles simultaneously, her speed creating the illusion of multiple attackers.

"Hooh? You're finally getting a bit serious now are you?"

She smirked as she brandished her giant weapon and then,

"Rune Enhancement: Hands."

Velraeth's both hands suddenly got engraved with crimson symbols and in response, the warhammer in her grasp suddenly became a blur, intercepting each silver strike through pure instinct and combat experience.

*Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!...*

Her movements held no wasted motion despite their raw power.

The final clash sent both women skidding backward.

Aurelia's breathing remained controlled, but a thin sheen of perspiration marked her brow. The extended engagement taxed even her legendary stamina.

Velraeth's grin widened with obvious delight.

"Ha! Not ba–"

*Drip…*

A crimson fluid dropped to the ground.

"..."

Tracing her hand to where it came from… Velraeth was surprised to find it came from her neck.

Dragons are quite prideful and hot blooded individuals in general.

That goes triple for this woman,

*Clank…*

And so, Aurelia put her body into a ready stance, expecting the dragon woman to go berserk in madness after being injured by her.

But just as the tension was getting heavier,

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The madwoman eerily laughed as she threw her head back while putting her hand on her face.

"..."

Looking at this crazy dragon, a certain memory surfaced in Aurelia's mind.

***

"... What?"

The past First Star Valkyrie asked with a frown as one of the reconnaissance leader assigned in search mission reported to her a grave news,

"The whole vanguard squad that was assigned in the Northern Waste… was completely annihilated, Captain."

No… How could that be? All of them were personally taught and trained under her, just how could they–

"It appears they were killed by a dangerous individual beyond their capabilities… an unfortunate encounter."

The reconnaissance leader then handed over to Aurelia a cracked metallic orb, and using her energy,

*Swish!*

A hologram… parts of memories were externally displayed before her.

And there she could see the whole squad getting brutally destroyed by a single crimson-haired woman with a thick dark crimson tail.

"... A dragon?"

"Yes. A true elder dragon at that."

Three of her junior Valkyries lay broken across the frozen tundra, their divine light extinguished. A fourth struggled to rise despite grievous wounds.

And standing over them, laughing with that same maniacal joy…

***

Is the same woman,

The Mad Crimson, Velraeth.

The memory crystallized Aurelia's resolve as she prepared herself for a kill.

And this time,

*Woommm…*

The silver aura is now surrounding her body, ready to decisively kill the enemy once and for all.

"HAHAHAHAHAHahaha…"

The laugh finally died down.

And this time,

"You finally got my blood pumping, Valkyrie!"

*FUSSSHHH!!!*

An explosion of crimson energy exploded outwards, turning the surroundings into a flat land.

"After finally wounding me, you better not disappoint me now!!!"

The madwoman charged with such a terrifying speed, her warhammer raised high.

*CLANG!*

Aurelia met the charge head-on, her blade seeking the perfect opening that would end this.

Their exchange accelerated to speeds that made them nearly invisible.

*Bang! Bang! Clash! Crack! Clang!*

Only the constant cacophony of clashing metal and the geometric pattern of destruction spreading across the clearing marked their positions.

On one side, Aurelia's blade began to glow with accumulated divine energy, the light intensifying until it became nearly blinding.

"Light's Wrath."

Velraeth sensed the shift immediately. Her own aura exploded outward, crimson chaos swirling around her form like a malevolent storm.

*BOOOOMMM!!!*

Silver and Crimson met.

Their destruction was getting too much for the island at this point.

By the end of the single exchange, both women backed off slightly, the ground between them scorching from the heat of their combined power.

And just as they finally created distance,

"Hmm?"

The dragon woman's expression shifted, her gaze finally having a hint of recognition.

She studied Aurelia more carefully, her ember eyes narrowing.

The fighting style… her divine signature….

The peerless swordsmanship and survivality that predated modern Valkyrie doctrine and even matches her own self-made skills…

Valraeth has only heard of her from rumors and the talks of others, but…

'It must be her, right?'

The thought made her blood boil in excitement.

But she still asked,

"You... you're The First Valkyrie, aren't you?"

"..."

"But you're supposed to be dead. Completely erased during that war that I heard ages ago. How is the supposedly dead First Captain here?"

"..."

Aurelia remained silent, her blade still ready despite the temporary ceasefire.

"Did you fake your death? Go into hiding?"

Velraeth's mind worked through possibilities.

"Or did someone revive you? That would require incredible power, and even then, complete erasure shouldn't be reversible..."

"Your curiosity is irrelevant, lizard."

The scornful reply made Velraeth's grin return in full force.

"HAHAHAAHAHAHAHA!!! You're right!" She laughed, the sound carrying genuine amusement. "Dead or not, I don't care. As long as I get to fight someone strong, it doesn't matter!"

"..."

Aurelia's grip on her blade tightened.

"Let's continue our dance then, Valkyrie!" Velraeth continued, her battle lust reigniting. "Let's see who can kill each other first!"

"Quit talking."

"HAHAHAHAHA! Cold and sharp! That confirms it! You're really the infamous First Star Valkyrie!"

*BOOOOMMM!*

Both SSR-tier powerhouses powered themselves simultaneously.

Aurelia's blade gleamed with concentrated divine light, the accumulated energy reaching critical mass.

Velraeth's warhammer crackled with destructive crimson power, chaos itself coiling around the weapon.

Both weapons raised high, aimed to end this in a single devastating clash.

The pressure from their combined auras made the very air scream.

Reality itself seemed to warp at the point where their powers would collide.

And then,

"Stop."

*WHOOSH!!!*

The single word cut through the chaos with absolute authority.

Both weapons halted mere inches from connecting, their momentum arrested so abruptly it created a massive gale that radiated outward.

*BOOM!!!*

The wind pressure alone was enough to flatten everything in a 50-meter radius.

Dust and debris exploded outward like a bomb had detonated.

Trees bent nearly horizontal from the force.

And at the epicenter, standing between two weapons that could have obliterated him...

It's Nero.

His expression remained completely neutral despite Aurelia's divine blade hovering centimeters from his left temple and Velraeth's warhammer frozen inches from his right.

Either weapon moving another fraction would have ended him instantly.

But he didn't flinch.

Didn't even blink.

Just stood there with his hands casually in his pockets, looking between the two powerful beings with a calm look on his face.

"..."

Velraeth's ember eyes widened slightly, genuine surprise breaking through her usual manic expression.

He just... walked into a clash between the two of them releasing enormous pressure… and somehow, he's fine?

'Hmmm… He REALLY got some balls for a human, I'll give him that.'

The timing required to position himself at the exact moment before impact.

The absolute confidence needed to not flinch despite weapons capable of annihilating him hovering at his head.

The sheer audacity to interrupt their fight with a single word.

'This human… might actually be quite interesting.'

The Mad Crimson was quite intrigued, her embers then glowed the slots narrowing as if trying to see through everything about him.

"L-Lord Nero!"

Aurelia's voice cracked slightly, her stoic mask shattering completely.

Horror and guilt flooded her features as she realized what she'd almost done.

"I... I could have..."

"Stop, you didn't." Nero replied calmly, looking directly at her as he rubbed her head in order to calm her down.

And once he felt that she did,

"Take a breath, Aury. Look around."

"..."

The angel's golden eyes finally swept across the devastated landscape.

Craters everywhere.

Destroyed trees.

Scorched earth.

The place is… definitely more than a mess.

"..."

And in the distance, she could hear voices.

Panicked shouts from the other summons who'd felt the tremors and were rushing to investigate.

The realization of how close she'd come to causing a catastrophe hit her like physical force.

"I-I..."

Her wings drooped with shame and regret.

*Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*

Multiple figures burst into the clearing simultaneously.

The six girls arrived first, their various abilities having allowed rapid response.

"W-What the hell happened here?!"

Frila's eyes went wide at the destruction.

"... Are you guys?"

Carmen's psychological senses immediately identified the three main parties involved.

"... Nero, we felt the whole island experience earthquakes and loud explosions… just what happened?'

Zara's analytical mind began cataloging damage patterns.

Helya thundered in moments later, her white tiger features alert for threats.

Other combat-ready summons followed, weapons drawn and ready.

"Master Nero!" Helya called out, her amber eyes scanning the scene. "What happened?! We felt explosions and..."

She stopped mid-sentence as she took in the full picture.

Nero standing between two beings radiating with powerful energies.

One is silver, another is someone she doesn't know but was emitting an oppressive crimson.

And around them,

"..."

Well… the massive destruction surrounding them adds the situation into 1+1 = 2, right?

It's an obvious aftermath of a serious battle.

"Everyone, stand down," Nero commanded, his voice carrying both authority and a sort of exhaustion… as if he's "suffering" from a headache.

"There's no threat. Just a... misunderstanding between summons."

"Misunderstanding?" Frila repeated incredulously, gesturing at the cratered landscape. "This looks like a war zone!"

"Aurelia thought Velraeth was attacking me," Nero explained simply as if he knew what to say. "Velraeth was just testing me. Things escalated. Now we're stopping before it gets worse."

"..."

'I don't think the situation could get any worse anymore…' that thought was collectively shared with everyone.

But Nero stated and corrected,

"Well, at least the island wasn't destroyed, right?"

"..."

At this point, they were speechless.

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