While Icy, Lera, and Wu battled on atop the floating ice platform that Icy had created, Alina sprinted across the cities in her enlarged form with the Great Northern Wolf Manifest surrounding her body.

However, this time, things felt different.

As the paws of the Great Northern Wolf slammed into the roads underneath her, she felt like all of her senses had been expanded outward and connected with all of Talonia all together.

Like an apex predator returning to its natural habitat, everything just seemed to click back into place now that…Caligo’s influence on her had been purged through the combined efforts of Shadow, Icy, and Wu.

“So much fear…so much panic…” Alina murmured, taking in everything as the sharp stings from the Wave of those that had already been through the Gate of Rebirth drew her attention. Caligo had ordered them on a rampage to test out their powers, and everywhere they went, destruction followed.

Even as Caligo was about to transform the entirety of Fang city, he still incurred chaos with his actions right beforehand. Alina clenched her fist before drawing in a steady breath, letting out a seething howl that rocked the entire city when the motions of all of the partially transformed individuals halted before all eyes were focused on her.

Within the Wave, Alina’s presence shined bright like the sun, drawing all of the partially transformed individuals towards her in a single move.

“GET AWAY FROM HERE! HEAD TOWARDS HIGHER GROUND!” Alina then shouted, her voice channeling through the body of the Great Northern Wolf as hordes of partially transformed individuals rushed in her direction.

Compared to her brilliant presence in the Wave, that of the regular Fang city resident was negligible, and all of them were promptly ignored by the mindless hordes.

“Is that…the protector of Talonia…the Great Northern Wolf and Alina Vuk? I thought she’s our enemy…” One of the younger citizens watched on as her partner yanked her hands back to move her out of the way.

“I told you those Descendant’s of Winter are talking nonsense! Let’s go!”

The first dozens of the partially transformed clung onto Alina’s manifest as she turned and charged towards the first of the red lines near the outer walls of Fang city. This tactical maneuver both help draw the partially transformed towards her and allowed her to close in on her targets.

And this time, her targets are the Valkyries themselves. As the leader of the Valkyries, Alina always knew that she will be the one responsible for the retirement of the Valkyries, and yet…she would never imagine it happening like this…

When hovering within the middle of the great northern wolf, the bombardment of attacks from the partially transformed people felt nothing more like tingles, as the Gate of Rebirth simply enabled the individuals to reach their own limits of power, rather than blankly bringing everyone to an arbitrary level of power.

That was also why the transformation process was most effective on Valkyries, who were already fighters of the highest caliber within Talonia. Though it will also elevate the abilities of a normal citizen far beyond what they previously were nonetheless.

“Is everybody here?” Alina glanced as more and more of the horde appeared from behind the alleyways and started piling onto her. She concentrated her Wave inward, briefly drawing on the power of the Great Northern Wolf before letting it all out in a single burst. With her senses connected to all those around her, she took in all of the emotions from around her, all of the fear, anger, and desperation.

“Dominance mode: dominance of the Wolf!” Alina shouted, her entire body flashing light in the middle of the Manifest as the Great Northern Wolf’s powers became condensed and channelled directly into her body.

Then, she dropped down onto the ground with her body bathed in a far smaller white animalistic armour as she slammed her feet into the ground. A shock wave exploded outwards from her foot, passing by and pushing back the hordes of partially transformed in combination with the ridiculous amount of pressure that she was able to give off in her dominance mode.

Raising up slowly from the crouched position, Alina prepared to fight on when she noticed every single one of the horde’s bodies being completely frozen in place. Then, the first one fell onto the ground followed by the rest like dominoes as the sounds of mindless growls became replaced by the sounds of flapping clothes and colliding bodies.

“So this is dominance mode…” Alina looked down at her hands as the outlines of a silver claw flickered in and out of her hand. She turned slightly before leaping effortlessly into the air and landing atop the outer walls of Fang city.

Dozens of meters in front of her, a squad of soldiers stood around a Valkyrie that were pinned to a wooden column and they drew their weapons as Alina approached.

“Stop right there!” They shouted before charging forward as the dark crack above their forehead glowed with power. Alina flickered her body, dashing straight past their formation before the gust of wind from her movement tossed them up and out of her way.

She looked at the motionless Valkyrie as dark Cast lines rose through the sides of the Fang city walls, up the wooden column, and piercing through the skin at the bottom of her feet. Overhead where her hands were pinned against the column once again, far thicker dark red Wave lines like ribbons rose through the air before extending towards the floating orb in the center of the city.

“I am sorry, sister.” Alina said, floating up before hugging onto the cold body of the Valkyrie as she felt the rush of the Wave through it, “I am sorry I couldn’t protect you…I am sorry about everything…”

With her hands reaching in, she severed the link.

The Valkyrie’s body twitched slightly as blood rushed out onto Alina’s hands, and she grumbled something unintelligible before her body collasped into Alina’s embrace.

“General…is that you…” She murmured as her fleeting breathe brushed against Alina’s face, “We…we are almost there…Talonia will be saved after…our sacrifice…Service til the end…right?”

“I am sorry.” Alina slowly put the Valkyrie down before she smiled and closed her eyes. Alina remembered her, and she was always the cheery one. If there was anyone who wouldn’t have been broken by Caligo’s program, it was her.

“I…will see you all in Valhalla soon enough…”

Then, she slowly rose up and moved forward, heading towards the second Valkyrie stationed around the outer wall. As the red ribbons of Wave became severed one after another, more and more of Caligo’s Casts were undone, though the burdens upon Alina’s shoulders became greater and greater.

All of this was her fault.

All of the Valkyries, and the lives that they lived were on her. It was her job to look after the Valkyries, and yet, at the end of the day, all she could do was what she’s best at.

Hurting the people she cared about.

“You idiot.” As Alina’s hand thrusted through yet another cold body of a Valkyrie, a ghostly voice of Shadow’s came from behind her. Alina spun around rapidly, unaware that tears had blurred her vision, “You idiot!”

“Yeah…I am an idiot.” Alina lowered her head, “I…couldn’t protect any of you at the very end.”

“You are an idiot, because you think good intentions alone are enough to change the future.” Shadow scorned before reappearing over Alina’s right shoulder, “We, more than anybody, knew that the only things that will change the future is action. If you don’t want this to repeat, you must do what’s necessary.”

“Even if it hurts like hell, even if you lose yourself in the process. Even if you are the last one standing…no…especially if you are the last one standing, you must do what’s necessary.” Shadow threw her hands behind Alina’s back and gave her a shove forward, “Because if you don’t, I am going to haunt you forever.”

“…Are you real?” Alina asked, her body flying through the air towards the final Valkyrie, “When you entered my mind…did you leave something behind…?”

“Maybe, maybe not.” Shadow smirked, “Now that I am forever haunting you, you won’t ever be able to get rid of me anymore.”

Alina moved her hands, and she looked up as the final ribbon broke off from the floating orb. The white rings of light along the outer radius of Fang city halted their progress before they started to dissipate into thin air as the Gate of Rebirth was finally dispelled at last.

However, the floating red orb had already collected plenty of Wave from the countless citizens of Fang city, and even from all the way out at the city’s boundaries, Alina could still feel it’s intense stink through the Wave.

This is the end…

“Shadow…I am finishing this.” Alina murmured as she leaped through the air, allowing the Great Northern Wolf to form around her body once again as the citizens cheered when she flew by.

However, there was no response from the other end. Her mind was clear, and her body simply moved on its own. Then, before she was able to leap towards the floating platform, the cracks forming all over it finally overloaded Lera’s structural support as countless massive ice spikes started raining down on the city below.

“Dominance of the Wolf!” Alina shouted once again before the manifest shrank and transformed into her armour as she accelerated fiercely, bouncing between the shards of ice before vaporizing each and every one of them in single punches.

“Shit! He’s…gotten too strong!” Lera cursed as Wu became blasted back as the enlarged Caligo reached and grabbed his hands around the orb, drawing even more of the Wave straight into his body.

“If I couldn’t get the whole of Talonia to fight for me…” Caligo said, his voice rumbling like thunder, “Then I shall become strong enough to rival the Ten Heavenly Pillars, for I am the true protector of Talonia!”

Then, he placed the orb inside of his chest as bright pulsing red cracks formed over his chest, and he roared as more and more injection of power inflated his body further. A red mist started swirling around his body before it conjured into rings of light around his wrists.

“No. We are the protectors of Talonia.” Alina said, raising through the air with Icy’s ice columns as Lera and Wu flew besides her. Then, from underneath, Ita and the rest of the Leodora family rode in their individual chariots in support, “And we will have you give back Fang city to its people!”

“Without me, Talonia WILL fall to PORA!” Caligo exclaimed, his hands reached to the side, “Without me running the Valkyries program, Talonia would have been raided into the ground years ago!”

“No! You are simply using the Valkyries program as an excuse to further your own agenda!” Ita exclaimed, “You took sisters and daughters away from Talonia while lying about its benefits!”

“Look at your strongest fighter! She was living proof that the Valkyrie program works!” Caligo laughed.

“No…I am…the living proof that Talonian girls are strong enough.” Alina pointed her finger forward firmly as her voice became projected throughout the entirety of Fang city, “You are right about one thing, Caligo. Talonia is due for a change, and this is the start of a new future!”