As Ateen approached the wall, and while she was giving her orders, the Sirion creatures appeared suddenly, moving swiftly on their fin-like legs, their octopus-like hair waving and coiling around everything
At that moment, Basil, Hamza, and Finn arrived, running toward her, their faces reflecting seriousness and readiness.
Ateen looked at them firmly and said, "You must help Scarface and his men to stop this attack!"
Then she quickly turned, grabbed Finn by the arm forcefully, and said, "Didn't I tell you not to come?!"
However, Finn stood his ground, gripping his twin daggers with determination, his eyes filled with defiance.
Despite that, Ateen did not back down from her decision. She pulled him along and said firmly, "I will deal with the Sirion—those creatures. As for you, Basil and Hamza, head to the wall and help repel the giant creature. Finn, stay with me and assist me here."
She advanced toward the Sirion before shouting her orders to the warriors:
"To battle! Protect the kingdom at any cost!"
The women warriors charged toward the Sirion, and a fierce battle erupted through the alleys and narrow streets.
The Sirion used her octopus-like hair strands to restrain the warriors and immobilize them, making the fight even more complicated.
Meanwhile, Finn stood beside Ateen, gripping his twin daggers tightly, ready for any attack.
Ateen glanced at him briefly, then said, "Stay by my side, protect my back, and I will protect yours."
Amid the raging battle, the warriors continued to fight the Sirion fiercely, and soon some of them began to fall one after another, with mysterious wounds opening on their bodies without anyone seeing where they came from.
One of the warriors screamed, "There's something invisible attacking us! We can't see her!"
Another added anxiously, "We can't use Norma's Eye to reveal her—the sunlight prevents us from activating it… the only one who can use it now is Ateen!"
Ateen looked at the warriors and quickly realized the severity of the situation. She closed her eyes for a moment, then slowly opened them.
One of her eyes ignited with a faint glow as she activated Norma's Eye, the unique ability possessed by the women of Estrazon.
The moment it was activated, she saw the horrifying scene before her: a transparent figure moving lightly among the warriors, attacking them with a sharp dagger.
There was no time to warn anyone, for at that very moment, she saw the creature darting rapidly toward Finn!
Sensing the imminent danger, Ateen rushed toward him with all her strength and pushed Finn out of the creature's path at the last moment.
At the instant she pushed him away, she couldn't fully evade the attack—the dagger pierced her side, and a few drops of her blood scattered onto the ground.
Finn staggered back in shock, his eyes widening as he shouted, "Ateen!"
Ateen fell to one knee, pressing her hand against the wound, then looked at Finn and said calmly despite the pain, "Don't worry… I'm fine. Protect yourself and the others."
While Ateen was suffering from the stab wound, the invisible attacker suddenly revealed herself.
It was Princess Kalisa—her body burned, her features disfigured, and a deep cruelty etched across her face.
Kalisa stepped forward slowly, her eyes blazing with hatred, holding a bloodstained dagger, then said in a voice filled with venom:
"Ateen, do you see these burns on my body? They are the marks of the radiant weapon your kingdom's inventor used against us. I was on the verge of death, but I survived by a miracle… and yet, I thank him for these burns, for they granted me a new ability—I can become invisible… and now I am here to return the pain you caused me, many times over."
Ateen felt a strange change sweeping through her body, pain coursing through her veins, and a growing weakness overtaking her little by little.
She tried to stand firm as she watched Kalisa, but she did not understand what was happening to her.
Ateen shouted to the warriors, "Warriors of Estrazon! Attack now—do not let her advance another step!"