"Truly... impressive."
Even facing the pure white giant beast before her, which radiated an aura capable of freezing all things, not a hint of panic appeared on Nai's face.
She took two steps forward, tilting her head back to look up, unhesitatingly observing Puck's beastly form, her tone carrying a sense of appreciative admiration.
"Is this the true form of one of the Four Great Spirits said to stand at the world's peak, the 'Beast of the End' as the rumors say? As expected... it lives up to its reputation."
She shifted her tone, a playful curve hooking the corners of her lips as she spoke softly, "However, how long can you maintain this form?"
"Ten minutes? Or seven or eight minutes?"
Puck didn't answer, instead slightly lowering his head, casting a contemptuous glance at the tiny figure below without any emotion.
Crack...Crack...
Starting from Nai's feet, a layer of shimmering ice condensed out of thin air without warning.
The ice layer rapidly spread upward, crawling past her calves, knees, thighs, waist, and abdomen. The freezing speed was unimaginably fast.
"So insignificant it's nonsensical."
Puck's voice rang out, no longer lighthearted as when talking to Emilia, but grand and deep.
"You deserve to die."
As the words fell, the freezing had already spread to Nai's neck, seemingly on the verge of sealing her in ice completely.
However—
"Vry impressive. I really... really admire you."
Still sweet and cloying, Nai didn't show the slightest panic even as the ice layer was about to cover her entire head.
The next second—
BOOM!!!
Layers upon layers of eerie green flames suddenly erupted from within the frozen Nai's body, bursting outward from the inside.
The moment the green flames appeared, the seemingly indestructible ice layer, as if meeting its nemesis, emitted sizzling sounds, its surface rapidly melting and evaporating.
In just a second, the ice layer enveloping Nai completely dissipated. She stood in place unharmed, her black dress without even a single water stain or scorch mark.
Puck's pupils suddenly sharpened as he stared intently at the dancing green flames, his body tensing for an imperceptible moment.
This kind of flame...
He had never seen them before. It wasn't pure temperature or energy. Within that green light was an extremely ominous aura.
It was precisely this flame that allowed her to easily resist and even dismantle his terminal chill, which was capable of freezing the world.
"Who... are you, exactly?"
Puck's voice rang out again, but the previous contempt had vanished, replaced by an unprecedented gravity.
"This fire is by no means ordinary. It allows you to resist my power."
"I'm so sorry."
Nai raised her right hand, making a playful "V" sign by her cheek, a bright smile on her face.
"I'm not the kind of fool who easily tells others the details of my abilities. After all, combat is more interesting when you keep a little mystery, isn't it?"
—
Meanwhile, in the battle zone where Subaru, the Iron Fang, and Rem were, the situation took a sudden turn for the worse.
In the thick smoke and chaos, they discovered to their horror that the so-called Sin Archbishop of Gluttony did not refer to just one person.
Fighting alongside Lye Batenkaitos was another petite figure. It was a blonde girl who looked only about ten years old, barefoot, a satisfied smile spread across her lips.
She called herself the Sin Archbishop of "Satiation"—Rui Arneb.
Two Sin Archbishops with vastly different appearances, yet they radiated the same spine-chilling aura from the same source.
Even with the elite of the Iron Fang fighting hard and Rem providing cover, their situation was already critical in the face of the Witch Cultists who still held a numerical advantage and this newly appeared, unfathomably powerful "Satiation."
Even more terrifying was the ability the opponent displayed. It wasn't simple physical attacks or magic.
Lye and Rui's attacks both carried a "devouring" characteristic.
Like the White Whale, they could devour the "names" and "memories" of those they touched, causing their very existence to become thin or even forgotten by the world.
But compared to the White Whale, their ability seemed even more advanced. Not only could they devour, but they could even turn the devoured person's memories and even skill experience into their own.
This meant that every successful dodge was crucial, and every touch could mean a permanent loss for oneself and an empowerment for the opponent.
The only turning point lay with Subaru. Her "Future Sight" had made her the most critical "eyes" of the team.
She could foresee the movements of Lye and Rui, thereby providing early warnings to everyone.
"Three steps to the left! Mimi, get back!"
"Captain Ricardo, there's a blade from the diagonal above!"
"Rem, watch your step!"
Subaru's screams rang out continuously in the smoke and dust, her voice becoming somewhat hoarse as a result.
However, under her command and support, the Iron Fang mercenaries and Rem were able to narrowly avoid fatal attacks and touches again and again, barely maintaining the battle line.
But everyone knew they were just struggling to hold on. Stamina and mana were being consumed rapidly, while the opponents seemed to grow increasingly angry, their attack intensity mounting.
Lye missed his mark again, his eyes bloodshot as he scratched his hair in a rage.
"You're clearly food! You should just obediently let us eat you! Isn't that right?! Isn't food born to be eaten?! Why dodge?! Why resist?! It's unreasonable!"
"Rem! Watch out for the thrust from the left!" Subaru's warning rang out in time once again.
Rem's pupils constricted. Having just swung morning star to knock away a Witch cultist, her body instinctively leaned back sharply.
A dagger's blade grazed the tip of her nose. Its speed and tricky angle far exceeded his previous attacks.
With multiple attacks being predicted and dodged, Lye had his patience worn thin, his rage reaching its peak.
Through the drifting smoke, he and Rui's eyes met for a brief moment in the mist.