'30 seconds.'

Zara's mind raced rapidly. She could instinctually feel that if there wasn't a change in the situation soon, her strategy would quickly fall apart.

But, she had to buy 30 seconds for her juniors. Since she'd entrusted them in being the change this situation needed, she could only allow them to shine when they were ready.

Until then..

Zara's body became semi-material, like a black shadow of death swirling through the skies.

This form was far more conspicuous in normal circumstances, but with the Nox's black mana flying through the air, they could hardly pinpoint her location.

The only way for them to see her would be to stop attacking completely, but wouldn't that just be asking for death?

"Don't hold back! Kill her!"

With the yell of one came the spirit of others. This massive group, if they couldn't even kill a single woman, wouldn't they become the laughingstock of the whole universe?

The atmospheric mana began to shift. The Higher Nox weren't just going to throw attacks wantonly to avoid injuring each other, they were going to use genuinely destructive techniques.

Zara could feel it clearly. As if she was connected to the mana through the ink she'd devoured, she could feel how it moved and twisted according to her enemies' wills.

'There's no place to dodge.'

Zara shifted to the right, avoiding a massive fist that charged towards her. Just as that happened, however, she found a brutal stake threatening to impale her from below. A dark phoenix swooped in from the sky and let out feathers like arrows, showering Zara's surroundings in hostile mana.

The more she dodged, the more she realized there was nowhere to go.

'Shadow Dominion.'

Zara's domain spread tens of thousands of kilometers into the surroundings and enveloped the Nox within. While this couldn't stop them, it would at least allow Zara more control of the situation.

With this control, she was able to become far more agile and sensitive to mana fluctuations. Every attack was within her sight.

But not every movement of hers could match this new level of sight.

"Khhh!"

Zara let out a rough exhale as her shoulder was impaled by an inky black spike.

She saw it coming, but she couldn't dodge it. If she dodged, she would've been impaled through the chest by a different spike, which was far more inhibiting than a shoulder injury.

Zara's eyes flashed with a piercing light. The shape of her domain began to change, becoming more fluid.

This subconscious change took place silently, and with such thick blackness surrounding them, nobody noticed its presence.

However, Zara could feel her state of mind wavering.

Cruelty, brutality, ruthlessness. The more she fought, the more she devoured, the more this feeling grew.

Despite feeling how dangerous it might be, she didn't fight it. If anything, this danger only meant she was getting closer to her origins.

The fight continued.

10 seconds passed, and besides the injury on her shoulder, Zara wasn't touched once. 5 Higher Nox died by her hands, and the domain continued to shrink into a more bulbous liquid form.

20 seconds passed. Zara's injuries worsened, but she fought as if they didn't exist. Her bodily functions weren't inhibited by her wounds in the slightest, almost like they never pierced past her flesh.

7 more Nox died under Zara's hands. Every time they fell, the waters below their feet would rise up and swallow them whole.

It was a terrifying sight. Even though they far outnumbered her to the point where it was embarrassing, they still weren't able to kill her.

And yet, she was killing them brutally and devouring them, something that they'd never seen happen without any side effects.

At first, they wondered whether or not capturing Zara was a better idea than killing her.

But in the end, she was a threat too dangerous to keep alive.

As they fought more fiercely, Zara's eyes became bloodier and bloodier. Her killing intent materialized in the air and fused into the fluid domain, empowering it.

The domain moved around Zara like a scarf. The blackness flowed with the smoothness of water and the burning ferocity of fire. It held the infinite despair of death and the horrors of darkness.

With this weapon in hand, Zara became a monster. Her claws were made for ripping apart flesh, and she used them as such. She flashed from one place to another, tearing apart any living organism she could find

And finally, 30 seconds passed.

BOOOOOM!

The ocean imploded from the pressure of their collision with it. Zara immediately killed the man in her hand when she finally arrived underwater.

A cold rationality filled her head as the surrounding water calmed her emotions. It was an immediate change that didn't feel natural in any way.

"Who are you to ask for my name?"

"I am—"

"Dead."

The Higher Nox's death was instant. It wasn't anything like the struggle Zara put up every time she fought one of them previously.

She turned her eyes and looked at each Higher Nox surrounding her individually.

Prey.

These were her prey.

And they were delicious prey that allowed her abilities to develop each time she ate one.

Didn't she have permission to go wild?

Wasn't she told to do anything she needed to do to solve the questions plaguing her mind?

Didn't she have someone who could support her no matter what happened?

Then..for what reason did she need to fear her current state?

This..was exactly what she wanted.

Flickers of a man's life appeared in her mind as she stood silently. Memories of a life she didn't know, a life unrelated to her. Yet, every time she saw a piece of this life, her heart ached with endless sorrow.

She needed to know more.

And the prey in front of her would allow her to do so.

That was the last rational thought that surfaced in her chaotic mind.

Her body leaned back, her arms spread to the side, and her eyes closed.

The sea of ink exploded.

Blackness spread through the already dark ocean and made it impossible to determine anything like direction or distance. In fact, the entire concept of space became negligible under this blackness' influence.

Movement? Even thinking about it felt like a joke under the disgusting stickiness.

Zara's coldly gleaming gold eyes were like a beacon in the darkness.

When she opened her eyes, when those eyes shone..

Mayhem and madness spread.

The darkness spread like an incurable disease and infected the surroundings wholly. The more it grew, the more powerful Zara seemed to become.

Yet, she wasn't killing the Higher Nox. She was slowly torturing them, taking away their sanity before she took their lives.

historical

Because as long as they could think, they could fight.

If they could fight, they could work together to destroy her suppression.

Destroying their minds was the quickest and most efficient solution..

..and it was a solution Zara quite enjoyed.

As Zara's torture continued, muffled screams resonated through the waters. It was gruesome to imagine what was happening to those men.

However, time wasn't on their side.

35 minutes had passed.

They only had to wait 25 more minutes for support.

And a chance like this one wouldn't come again.

The sadistic desire of a blood-crazed wolf was, unfortunately, ignored.

Before she could fully enjoy herself, a..being..appeared from the depths.

A colossal titan in a strange suit of armor..

..charged straight into the blackness and exploded.