The villain's side of the novel

Elisa swung her sword, infused with a surge of powerful energy.

*Clang*

The bipedal cat monster blocked her attack effortlessly with one hand, then swiftly retaliated with its other hand. Elisa managed to evade the strike by propelling herself backward with a burst of energy from her feet.

Once she distanced herself from the monster, she raised her sword high in the air, causing an immense swirling vortex of sharp energy to envelop her weapon.

The unleashed energy sparks created deep gashes in the ground and sliced through nearby trees, reducing them to fragments.

"Not bad," the monster commented, as it gathered a dark, ominous energy in its hands.

*Blade Storm*

Elisa conjured hundreds of energy blades, forming a colossal tornado of destructive power aimed at the monster.

*Scratch*

In response, the monster flicked its hand, launching three razor-sharp claws made of concentrated black energy towards Elisa.

The two attacks clashed, resulting in a powerful collision that created a shockwave. The destructive force of the shockwave traveled in a radius of two kilometers, leaving a trail of devastation. If Elisa hadn't led the monster away from the other knights, the shockwave alone could have killed at least half of them.

After the dust settled, the monster remained unscathed, while Elisa suffered numerous wounds. Sensing her weakened state, the monster swiftly moved in for the kill, determined to end the battle.

Summoning her remaining energy, Elisa braced herself against the monster's assault. However, she could feel herself being pushed back continuously, realizing that she would lose if the battle continued in this manner.

(So this is my only option now) Elisa thought.

"Awaken..." she murmured.

Elisa possessed a sixth-rank spirit, a sentient weapon-type spirit known as the "Glory of Ten Thousand Powers Sword." In rare cases, weapons are imbued with intelligence, resembling living beings. These spirits are referred to as usage spirits, and Elisa's spirit was...

"The Glory of Ten Thousand Powers Sword," Elisa declared.

With those words, she tossed aside her current sword, which was immediately replaced by another blade brimming with concentrated power. Behind her, thousands of sword blades floated in mid-air, as a powerful white energy enveloped her.

Anyone witnessing this scene would be left in awe. Elisa radiated overwhelming energy reminiscent of a warrior from the Eighth Kingdom, surrounded by thousands of floating sword blades. She appeared as a legendary being.

"..." Even the monster cat widened its eyes in astonishment, beholding this awe-inspiring sight.

This was the power of the Glory of Ten Thousand Powers Sword. When summoned, it bestowed two skills upon Elisa.

[Skill: Glory of the Sword

Rank: ★★★★

Description: Triples the power of the user's sword energy, making it thicker and sharper.]

[Skill: Ten Thousand Powers

Rank: ★★★★★

Description: Summons ten thousand blades of equal power to the original sword blade. Each blade requires direct control to wield.]

Controlling all ten thousand blades simultaneously required immense concentration and years of rigorous training. Even with her considerable efforts, Elisa could only manipulate two thousand blades at a time.

With overwhelming energy surrounding her and the two thousand sword blades behind her, Elisa unleashed a barrage of attacks towards the monster at an incomprehensible speed.

The monster defended with all its might, but Elisa's strikes proved faster and stronger than before. In addition to her own formidable attacks, thousands of sword blades converged upon the monster simultaneously.

Elisa relentlessly pushed the monster backward until...

In a brief moment of distraction caused by an injury, one of the blades pierced the monster's back. The two thousand blades followed suit, slashing

the monster into pieces before it could even scream.

Having vanquished the monster, Elisa wasted no time and hurried back to her team with all her might.

"..." However, upon reaching her comrades, Elisa's eyes widened in shock.

Before her lay the knights from both the Prada and Ronal families, gravely wounded and many of them devoid of any signs of life. The monster they had been battling was nowhere to be seen.

"How did this happen?" Elisa whispered in disbelief.

Despite the monster's strength, the combined forces of the Prada family knights--two warriors from the Sixth Kingdom and eight from the Fifth Kingdom--and the Ronal family knights should have had a good chance of victory, or at the very least, holding out until Elisa's return.

"He took too long, so I decided to lend a hand," a voice suddenly spoke from above. Elisa turned her gaze toward the source and found the monster, a Seventh-rank creature, still perched atop its flying beast.

"So, you killed them?" Elisa demanded, her anger evident.

"You also killed Ash. Seems you're quite formidable," the horned monster replied.

"Are you the king of monsters?" Elisa asked.

"No, I'm merely one of his servants," the monster clarified.

"Just a servant?" Elisa exclaimed, shocked by the revelation.

"I have orders to bring some of you back alive. Surrender, and I will spare you for killing Ash," the monster offered.

Without uttering a word, Elisa raised her sword high, causing an enormous amount of sword energy to gather and form a powerful barrier. The two thousand blades merged with the hurricane-like barrier.

*Sword Storm*

Elisa unleashed all her remaining energy in a single devastating attack. The resulting damage to the surroundings far surpassed the previous assault.

Even the monster felt a surge of fear at the sight, and it unleashed its full power, charging toward Elisa's attack while using its most potent techniques.

*Meteor Punch*

The monster struck Elisa's attack with a punch charged with concentrated energy.

*Crash*

A colossal collision ensued, producing an immense wave of energy and an enormous cloud of dust that obscured a vast area.

Using its power, the monster dissipated the cloud, revealing Elisa standing amidst the fallen bodies of her comrades.

Elisa had shielded her comrades from the force of the wave, but it had taken a heavy toll on her.

(My arm) Elisa thought as she glanced at her deformed limb. The pain was absent, likely due to the severity of the injury.

Within seconds, Elisa collapsed to the ground, unable to remain standing any longer.

Suddenly, she felt a familiar presence and turned her gaze, only to meet Fray's gaze--one she hoped never to witness again.

"Fray..." Elisa began, but she reconsidered. Despite her aversion to this sight, she knew that if the situation persisted, they would all meet their demise.

And then, Elisa heard the words that haunted her nightmares to this day.

"Awaken, Narod... The second phase."