Miasma let out a sharp snort full of contempt. "Hmph! You haven’t even gone through the second phase and you dare to use it against me!"

She pointed her hand at Rosalina. Her eyes flashed with a cold red light, like sharp petals. In the next instant, all of Rosalina’s red petals vanished into thin air.

"Play time is over, children!" Miasma said, her voice thick with arrogance.

She flicked her hand, and the blue birds swarmed straight toward Julius and Rosalina like a deadly storm.

"Endless possibilities of time: 2nd stage! Awakening of the sparrow!" Miasma roared.

The moment the words left her mouth, the birds started to multiply.

They grew smaller and smaller, their speed doubling in a flash. Now they moved like angry insects, fast, countless, and impossible to escape.

Julius’s eyes widened in panic. His scalp tingled with fear. These birds were already dangerous, but now they were even deadlier.

"Space shell!" he shouted.

He grabbed Rosalina by the waist and pulled her tight against him. There was no time to dodge, the birds were too many.

It was better to defend. With his other hand, he quickly drew a circle in the air. The space around them shook and formed a tough, cocoon-like shell.

He held Rosalina close and braced for the hit, heart pounding hard.

But the impact never came.

Only silence. And a strange, empty feeling.

"You think this mere space spell could escape my domain?" Miasma’s cold voice rang out.

Julius opened his eyes. His pupils shrank in shock.

The space cocoon he had just created was gone, completely vanished. The blue birds hovered just a few meters away, waiting like hungry predators.

"Devour!" Miasma said with a cruel grin.

The birds lunged forward all at once.

Julius’s eyes narrowed to tiny slits. "Fuck!" he cursed under his breath.

He twisted his body sharply, pushing backward while still gripping Rosalina tight, desperate to get away from the deadly swarm closing in.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

One after another, the blue birds slammed into Julius’s back like bullets. He had strengthened his skin with compressed mana, but each hit made it harder to hold on.

Painful groans slipped from his mouth and reached Rosalina’s ears. She felt every blow as if it struck her own body.

She held him tight, her face pale with terror. This was the worst crisis they had ever faced. Her heart pounded wildly. Both of them had been protected since childhood.

They had never stared at real death like this. Fear flooded their minds, making everything feel blank and heavy.

Rosalina’s breath came fast and shallow. Despair gripped her chest, she could lose him right here.

"Have you had enough?" Miasma’s voice echoed coldly.

The blue birds stopped their attack at once. Julius lost his balance and fell forward. His back was badly curved, covered in deep wounds and fresh blood.

Rosalina quickly caught him, supporting his weight. Warm blood soaked her hands. The thick smell filled her nose.

Her face turned even paler. He had taken every hit to save her. If she had been the one shielding him, her body might have collapsed already.

"Hey... Julius..." Her voice shook with panic.

She rubbed his cheeks, her fingers trembling. His eyes stayed closed, his face twisted in pain. Her heart sank deep into despair. Tears welled up fast in her eyes.

"Oi... wake up..." she whispered, voice breaking.

Right then, Julius’s eyes snapped open.

"W-what the...?" he muttered, feeling the sharp stabbing pain in his back. His gaze landed on Rosalina, who looked ready to cry.

"Hey..." he said softly and tried to lift himself.

"Idiot!" Rosalina cried out in relief. She slapped his shoulder lightly, then pulled him into a tight hug. She kissed his forehead, holding him close as if she might lose him any second.

"How touching," Miasma said with a smirk. She stared at her fingernails while speaking. "You two could become a great couple, you know that?" She snapped her fingers.

The blue birds flew to her and formed a grand throne beneath her. Miasma stroked the armrest, sat down, and crossed her legs calmly.

Julius’s face turned solemn. Rosalina, who had been on the edge of tears, forced her expression to harden like stone.

They stood up together, supporting each other. Their faces looked as hard as steel on the outside.

But deep down, both of them knew the truth, winning now felt nearly impossible. Fear and despair still clung to Rosalina’s heart as she held onto him.

Miasma leaned back on her throne, still inspecting her nails without even looking at them. "You are wondering why the birds didn’t hold any abilities like the earlier ones?" she said calmly, as if the question barely mattered to her.

Julius stayed silent. He had felt it too. Every bird that struck him and Rosalina carried no extra powers this time, no shields, no devouring mouths, nothing like before.

’She is toying with us!’ Julius thought. He ground his teeth hard. Fresh blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he stared at her with burning eyes.

"You guessed right," Miasma said. Her gaze finally shifted to Julius. She licked her lips slowly.

"Honestly, I didn’t want to kill you from the start. Seeing your talent... and combined with the all-seeing eyes... you haven’t gone through the second awakening yet. But it won’t be much longer, right?"

Julius and Rosalina watched her in heavy silence. Their eyes stayed locked on Miasma, searching desperately for any small opening, any chance to strike and seriously injure her. That single thought burned in both their minds.

"That’s why I have a proposal," Miasma confessed. "You see, I could have subdued you long ago....back when your sword was pressed against my throat."

She caressed her slender neck with her fingers. "You might think that if you had cut off my neck, it would have been fine. But believe me..." She paused and lifted her cold gaze toward them. "I can still revive as long as my core isn’t destroyed." 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Rosalina bit down hard on her lip. Her heart raced with fear and despair, but she forced her voice out. "What proposal?"

There was no way they could beat this woman by themselves right now. Buying time felt like their only hope.

Miasma stood up slowly and took one graceful step forward. She looked down at both of them from above, her presence heavy and commanding.

"You will become my vassal," she said, eyes fixed on Rosalina. Then her gaze shifted sharply to Julius. "And you will serve me."