Within the pitch-black space, a figure slowly emerged.
"So this is her mental space?" The Sacred Queen carefully observed her surroundings. "It's completely different from anyone else's mind!"
The Sacred Queen had once occupied the saintess Areishia's body. When it came to matters of the spirit, she had experience.
But a mental world as pure and utterly black as Elise's—this was the first time she had ever seen such a thing.
"Why is there nothing here?"
The Sacred Queen drifted through the darkness, attempting to locate something that would allow her to seize control of Elise's body. Yet to her confusion, she still found nothing at all.
"No... that's not right!"
At a certain instant, the Sacred Queen seemed to sense something. She abruptly raised her head toward the sky.
Two objects as brilliant as sapphires were suspended above her...
And they were something she recognized all too well!
"Her eyes?"
In the next second, realization struck her and she cried out in disbelief.
"Why?"
An intensely unpleasant sensation spread through her entire being. That feeling...
It was as if some special existence had locked its gaze onto her.
How could that be?
Could it be that those eyes were not her own power, but something bestowed by an even greater existence?
The sensation made the Sacred Queen deeply uncomfortable—and at the same time, it gave her the unmistakable feeling of death approaching.
This is bad!
This definitely isn't a mental space!
I have to leave!
After realizing the problem, the Sacred Queen immediately attempted to withdraw her soul from this body.
Unfortunately, it was already too late.
"It's useless? I can't leave?"
Her soul could not escape. The abnormal sensation engulfing her grew stronger and stronger.
When she looked up again, the pair of blue eyes staring at her had drawn closer.
If they made contact at zero distance, she would definitely die!
As a monster who had lived for over a thousand years, the Sacred Queen trusted her instincts.
Though she had lost the saintess' physical body and could no longer use precognition, her experience still remained!
In an instant, an intense holy aura erupted from her body, attempting to break through the darkness.
Useless!
Useless!
Still useless!
All of the Sacred Queen's power failed to produce even the slightest ripple within this space.
Her expression grew increasingly frantic. Even without sensing or predicting, she could clearly feel it now—her consciousness was fading.
"If I don't get out of here now, I'll—"
Her words came to an abrupt halt.
The blue eyes had already arrived before her, staring directly into her own.
The anxiety on the Sacred Queen's face gradually vanished. In its place appeared a vacant, muddled expression, like that of someone afflicted with dementia.
At that very moment, she ceased thinking. The fluctuations of her consciousness completely disappeared...
She had fulfilled her plan and even taken precautions against Elise's eyes. Yet in the end, she still fell to the very thing she had longed for most.
If you were to ask Elise how she felt about the Sacred Queen, she would answer aloud: a formidable and worthy tyrant.
As for what she truly thought in her heart...
Serves you right.
At that moment, the final enemy had vanished.
Outside.
Everyone waited anxiously—whether it was the four Millennia who had reverted to human form, or Kamito and the academy students.
They had all seen the Sacred Queen's soul charge into Elise's body. They knew clearly that within that calm exterior, a brutal struggle was unfolding!
Winner takes all. The loser dies without burial!
Under everyone's tense gazes, Elise's body moved.
Who had won?
For a moment, everyone held their breath.
Elise's eyes opened slightly for an instant—then, as if realizing something, she quickly shut them again.
"Heh heh... hehahahahaha!"
The laughter was utterly incompatible with Elise's appearance. At once, Millennia's expression turned excited.
Had His Majesty the Sacred Queen been victorious?
Of course—how could His Majesty possibly lose to a mere human? Even one from another world could not defeat him!
Millennia attempted to rush toward the Sacred Queen, only to discover that she could not approach.
In truth, it was not just her. Kamito and the academy students were likewise unable to draw near.
In the next moment, Elise's expression twisted in pain. Her face paled as she clutched her head.
Were they... still fighting?
"Elise! Don't lose!"
Kamito tried to approach, only to be sent flying by the overwhelming force.
"Sorry, Kamito."
Elise opened her eyes, revealing a gentle smile. Yet within that smile lay unmistakable resolve.
An unknown light began to swirl around her. At first it was merely scattered sparks, but as time passed, it grew into a blazing inferno.
The moment Kamito saw this scene, he immediately understood what Elise intended to do.
"Restia! Help me!"
"Tch, Kamito—you'd better give me a proper explanation afterward!"
No matter how dissatisfied Restia might have been at this moment, she would never go against Kamito's will.
The pitch-black Demonic Sword appeared in Kamito's hand as he slashed toward the curtain of light surrounding Elise.
But in his current state, he could not even use an ultimate technique. Breaking through that barrier was clearly impossible.
"Farewell, Kamito."
Encircled by countless motes of light, Elise gradually dissolved into the air, leaving only Kamito pounding the ground in grief.
"I promised I would protect you..."
...
But was that truly the case?
Within the Elemental Realm, Elise's figure appeared once more.
"Phew! It's finally over. This world has been nothing but a headache!"
The Sacred Queen was dead. The final reason for Elise to remain in this world had vanished.
She would soon return to Lord God Space.
But before that, there was one last thing to do.
"Ren, I'm counting on you!"
"I told you not to call me that! I'm much older than you!" The Darkness Elemental Lord Ren Ashdoll appeared beside Elise, clearly displeased.
"By the way, are you really okay with this? Letting him think you're dead and all..."
As the Darkness Elemental Lord, she knew exactly what had just happened. She had merely refrained from showing herself at Elise's request.
"I never intended to come back here anyway. It's better if everyone who knew me believes I've died."
Elise had already planned to leave back at the Demon King's Tomb. If not for the Sacred Queen, she would have departed long ago.
"If that's truly how you feel, then I won't argue." Since it was Elise's own decision, Ren had no reason to oppose it.
Elise nodded. Two spheres of light appeared in her hand—one golden, one white.
"I never thought you'd actually obtain both the Sacred Queen's Sacred and Light attributes..." Ren gazed at the pure energy within those spheres, emotions surging within her. A former friend, later an enemy—only to end like this.
"Call Est out," Ren said. "I'll guide the power into her."
The power she spoke of was not only the Sacred Queen's—it also included her own Darkness.
"From this day forward, your Est will no longer be merely a sword spirit. She will become an elemental sword spirit embodying seven attributes—Sacred, Light, Darkness, Wind, Fire, Earth, and Water."
"But this power is immense. It will take her a long time to fully absorb it. Be prepared."
With prior experience in guiding power, Ren did not take long to transfer the remaining attributes into Est's body.
However, Ren's own body began to turn transparent—the prelude to her dispersal.
"My task is complete." A look of relief appeared on her face. "Just like you said earlier..."
"Farewell, Elise."
"I'm glad I met you."
She waved at the golden saintess as her body grew increasingly translucent.
"Mm."
Elise waved back, though her expression was entirely different from Ren's.
"Ren, goodbye."
"I told you not to call me that..." Ren pressed a hand to her forehead helplessly, but in the next moment she let out a faint sigh.
"Forget it. This is the last chance we'll have. We'll never be able to meet again anyway."
"Call me whatever you like. As long as you're happy..."
"I really wish we could meet again..."
With those final words, the pitch-black figure completely dispersed within the Elemental Realm. The six great Elemental Lords of this world were now all gone.
The Water Elemental Lord once assassinated by Kamito might still have a surviving fragment—but that was not the true body, merely a special incarnation similar to Est.
What would become of the world of Elementalists without its Elemental Lords?
Elise did not know. Nor did she intend to ever return.
"Sister, are we leaving now?"
Est, having just finished absorbing the power, opened her eyes. She walked to Elise's side and took her hand in her small one.
During this time, Elise had told Est about the existence of the infinite worlds and that she would take her along.
She had originally expected Est to be shocked.
Instead, the response had been unexpectedly calm.
If summarized, it was roughly this...
I am Sister's sword. I always will be! It doesn't matter where we go. As long as I'm by Sister's side, I'm happy!
"Of course. We're leaving," Elise answered.
"Will we ever come back here?"
"Probably not. But if you ever want to return, Est, we can."
"Then never mind. I'll leave it up to you, Sister."
"All right. Then we'll—hm?"
Just as Elise was about to depart, an unnatural blue light appeared across her body.
"This is... a spirit crest?"
Elise had always been somewhat dissatisfied with the original placement of her spirit crest. But now it had changed—it was no longer a tiny dot.
Instead, above her chest, it had gathered into the shape of a blue sword, intricate patterns spreading outward from it.
"In that case, Est's evolution really was a good thing."