"Finally found you."

​A blinding light, pure and overwhelming, dropped from the sky and smashed directly into Lester, violently destroying the condensed dark fireball and throwing the demon back.

​BAM!!

​Lester landed heavily on the ground, his composure momentarily shattered. He looked up at the sky in shock. Vancouver, Patrick, Olivia, and the injured Miami also raised their heads, seeing the radiant form of an Angel with six wings—a being of immense power.

​"Aurelia," Lester hissed, forcing himself to his feet. "What is the Princess of the Angel Domain doing here? Interfering in my affairs?" he demanded, his voice dangerously cold.

​Aurelia moved her gaze over the scene below: the carnage, the shattered bodies of the Kings and Queens, and the demonic possession. A chilling, divine frown appeared on her face.

​"How dare you?!!" she snapped, her anger manifesting as countless swords of light that instantly materialized across the sky, pointing directly at the demon.

​"You want to kill me? Come on then," Lester smirked, his body beginning to glow with a corrosive, internal power.

​"What are you doing?" Aurelia asked, recognizing the ominous energy.

​"You are just a Ninth Order powerhouse. Don't think I will give you the pleasure of killing me," Lester stated, his pride venomous. He raised his hand and snapped his fingers, instantly teleporting Nymeria away.

​"So blowing yourself up is the right way?" Aurelia challenged, her phantom swords glowing brighter, ready to strike.

​"Hahahaha! I can't go against the Angel Domain, but I can still deal with these people!"

​"All of you! Move back!!" Aurelia screamed at Vancouver and the three remaining warriors.

​Patrick, summoning the last of his strength, hoisted the gravely injured Miami and ran, moving as fast as his bleeding body would allow. Olivia followed behind him, her mind numb with shock. But Vancouver remained on his spot, kneeling before the ashes and blood of Miranda and Draco—his sister-in-law and brother. He was utterly broken, rooted to the spot by grief and trauma.

​"Hahahaha! We will meet again!" Lester roared with laughter and violently exploded. The resulting blast obliterated all the remaining Wendigos and sent Vancouver flying backward.

​Aurelia exhaled slowly, lowering her hand. As she did, all the swords of light dropped from the sky and pierced the heads of every fleeing Wendigo, killing them instantly.

_

​She landed softly, staring down at the Wendigos' King's shattered body, which was now lying lifeless. She surveyed the surrounding carnage and sighed sadly, her expression etched with frustration.

​"I am still late," she muttered, recognizing the limitations of her intervention. She waved her hand, and instantly, all the corpses and remaining evidence of the battle were turned into ashes.

​"The Wendigos would surely have a way to revive their king," she muttered, before turning her attention to Vancouver, who lay on the ground, his gaze distant and empty, locked in a catatonic state of shock.

​"Where are the others?" she asked, looking around, her eyes sweeping the barren landscape.

​"Something isn't right," she murmured coldly, a sense of calculation returning. Aurelia took flight, moving swiftly in the direction Patrick and the girls had fled.

__

​Aurelia landed lightly, her eyes moving from Patrick's fallen form to the surrounding empty space. Neither Olivia nor Miami could be seen.

​"Mmm..." Patrick slowly opened his eyes, staring at the Angel in confusion.

​"Who are you? What am I doing here?" He looked around, his body stiffening as he stood up.

"I was in my room. How did I end up here?" He looked down at his blood-stained armor, his confusion instantly turning to horror. "Why?! Why is there blood on me?!" he yelled anxiously, his sanity cracking under the shock.

​'It seems he lost his memories, but how? And where are those two?' Aurelia quickly surveyed the area. There was no sign of a struggle, no footprints—only Patrick, who could provide no answers.

​"Don't worry, I will send you home," Aurelia said, making a swift, executive decision. She waved her hand, instantly teleporting the disoriented Patrick back to the Dragon Nation. She then turned and flew back to Vancouver.

_

​"The girls are missing, and your friend lost his memories. I've sent him back," she informed Vancouver, landing behind him. She received no reply.

​"Hey! You need to go back and make sure whatever happened here shouldn't be known by anyone!" she commanded, her voice sharp.

"You must keep it a secret." She gestured to the surrounding land where the bodies had been:

"Tell their families something happened, or give them a fake death reason... Just make sure none of this spreads."

​"Why?" Vancouver finally muttered, his voice hollow and dark, the trauma of witnessing the murders etched onto his soul.

​"If people know about this, they'll panic. Lester Blood isn't someone you all can fight—you were barely holding back the Wendigos. See what only a manifestation with fifty percent of his true power did?" Aurelia reasoned, appealing to his soldier's pragmatism. She then presented the final, agonizing choice.

​"I will place restrictions on your world, but I need your permission for this."

​"What restrictions?" Vancouver asked, finally turning his head to look at her, his eyes blood-red and distant.

​"Power restrictions," she explained, her face grim:

"Meaning, no one above the God rank can enter this world. If they force it, their powers will be reduced to the Divine or God rank. This buys your world centuries of safety from high-level invasion." She closed her eyes and opened them again, the magnitude of the sacrifice evident.

​"But there is a significant fallout in these restrictions: No one from the Lower World will be able to pass the God rank. That will be your final, absolute rank." She waited, her expression solemn.

"Should I proceed?"

​Vancouver was silent for a long time, the weight of the Lower World's future resting entirely on his shattered mind. Lester was an impossibly powerful force. Without the restrictions, he would find a way to invade for real. Doing this meant sacrificing their potential to prevent their destruction. With a deep, shuddering exhale, he finally nodded.

​"Do it."

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