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nI had successfully rendered Melville immobilized by freezing her solid in nearly indestructible and unmeltable ice. I teleported next to the head of the ice structure and immediately cast the Supernatural Observation of the Ultra Skill: Eye of Providence upon her. My vision was separated from my body and passed through the ice until it reached the frozen body of Edith, who had her eyes closed and was sleeping like a princess. I noticed that this skill moved a lot faster than Clairvoyance. Moving forward, I went for her head before I used Mindscape of the same Ultra Skill to invade her mind. ◆◇◆

nAfter successfully intruding on Edith’s psychic plane, the scenery that greeted Raphael was dark and melancholic. The surroundings were all black and void of light, but strangely enough, he could clearly see his body. It was the polar opposite of the white room where he woke up after dying. He clenched his hands and discovered that his disguise did not change, and he was still wearing the skin of Azrael. He thought that it would be removed after entering another’s mind, but he was grateful as his identity was not revealed. He looked around, and he could not help but think how bizarre this place was. He could not think that he was actually inside a person’s mind, although only his mind had entered this realm. It was as mystical and mysterious as a dream. Curious about this psychological plane, Raphael tried to perform a few skills, spells, and techniques. He was surprised that his abilities still worked in this unrealistic virtual world. The Mindscape of the Eye of Providence was an ability that allowed the user to enter the mind of someone who possessed a mental world. Even if the target did not have one, the user could generate one themselves and then invite the target into the realm. Everything in the mental world was a virtual copy of the real world, which exluded the user themselves. What was created or destroyed in the realm did not affect reality; for example, if someone summoned their weapons there and eventually got them destroyed, the one outside would remain perfectly untouched. However, there were things that could not be manifested here, like living things. The user and the target could use their abilities during this state, as the user could not set their own rules in their domain. Both the user and the target were actually dormant in the real world, so any damages could only affect the mental state of the ones inside the plane. However, when the injuries taken inside the mental world were fatal, it left dramatic effects and trauma on their mental health once they got out, and it could even lead to death in the worst-case scenario. Using spiritual attacks could injure souls since their spiritual bodies had also been dragged into this realm alongside the mind. Before his focus got derailed, he opened his radar and found two entities nearby. Without a thought, he was certain that those people were none other than Edith and Melville. It seemed like Melville was aware of his presence too, so he teleported himself into their position.

n“?! You! How did you manage to get here?!” A red-haired woman hissed at him upon his arrival. “This place should be my domain that allows no single soul to enter!” “Well, well, well. I did not expect that you are quite a beauty, but you are rather bad-tempered though.” Probably due to the proximity between them, Melville’s body, which was in her dragonic state, became visible, and her stunning appearance unfolded before his vision. Despite having a body that fit his preferences, Raphael maintained his composure and focused on inspecting the area without moving his head.

nNearby the position of Melville was where he found Edith’s body, astral body, spiritual body, or something, being tied to a stake like an accused witch who was about to get burned. Since this was not the material world, no heartbeats had been detected since he arrived, but he was certain that she was somewhat alive. “Answer me, you puny human!” “I was not tasked to answer your questions. Well, then, in this plane, I’ll make sure I will have you leave her body,” Raphael said as he was brandishing his black sword. “Ha! Try it if you can!” She dared him as she cloaked herself with Purple Lightning to greatly enhance her speed, reflexes, and thought, and so did Raphael. Melville dashed toward Raphael as soon as she conjured her blades and aimed them at his vitals. Switching to the sword made Raphael move faster, and he was able to react in time in order to parry one dagger and then simultaneously block the other one. “Death by a Thousand Cuts!” “Thousand Slice!” f𝐫e𝘄ebo𝐯𝐞𝐥.𝐜𝚘m

nClink! Clink! Clink!

nThey exchanged blades for a few seconds before Melville unleashed her technique, but Raphael countered it. Countless sparks temporarily illuminated the dark abyss, and once the techniques were finished, they stepped back in unison to provide distance for their next moves. Raphael went on offense and lunged forward at a high speed while performing Level 7: Fatality Thrust. Melville reacted to it by blocking his sword with Dagger Art Level 4: Cross Blade, the impact pushed her back by several inches. While struggling to maintain her form, Raphael used Instantaneous Movement to teleport himself into the air behind her. Raphael then conjured a Foothold and used it to plunge himself into her. His blade glowed gold before he performed his divine art. “Flash Strike.” “?! Orbiting Blades!” Clink!!!

nInstantly realizing the danger, Melville instinctively cast a Level 3 Divine Art technique. In less than a split second, her daggers quickly slipped off her hands and revolved around her once before automatically intercepting Raphael’s ebony blade. The collision of three blades that traveled dozens, not hundreds, times faster than the speed of sound produced the most explosive shockwave throughout their entire fight. The shockwave was so intense that both of them were blasted away from their spot for dozens of meters, causing them to tumble over and over again on the surface. “Ugh…” Almost immediately, they picked up their weapons and got themselves on their own two feet. The shockwave inflicted a significant amount of damage on their bodies and tattered their gear, but they were still in condition to extend the fight. Little did they know, their next moves would be the final battle to decide the winner of this one-on-one war.

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