Gathering Wives with a System Chapter 496 Changing Tides

Ruins Of Old, First Area, Great Dungeon

Eleanor, Sword Empress, POV

Eleanor's blade sliced the air with lethal accuracy. Elyndra found herself compelled to retreat, narrowly dodging the gleaming edge as Eleanor relentlessly advanced.

No respite was offered; her assault continued, each strike seamlessly transitioning into the next, a relentless offensive that maintained suffocating pressure.

For a fleeting instant, parity seemed to hold.

Then, the stark disparity in their power began to manifest unmistakably.

Elyndra's parry forced Eleanor back, a swift sliding motion creating much-needed distance. Regaining her footing, Eleanor tightened her grip, her mind rapidly reassessing the unfolding confrontation.

A swift scan of her surroundings revealed the larger, chaotic tableau of the ongoing battle.

Zahard and another formidable High Overlord were locked in a fierce engagement with Avery. Their titanic clash was a spectacle of destruction, each titanic impact sending violent tremors through the immediate vicinity.

On Eleanor's own front, the situation was equally perilous, almost desperate.

She and Sera found themselves contending against X-019, Elyndra, and an additional pair of High Overlords. The sheer intensity of the multi-pronged assault made discovering any viable opening an immense challenge.

Eleanor's eyes narrowed, her posture shifting subtly as she adapted her stance.

At this current trajectory, achieving victory seemed an impossibility.

She possessed a clear and unvarnished understanding of her own limitations. She was, after all, merely a Low-rank human, and a Champion at that.

The very fact that she could even participate in this brutal conflict was, in itself, extraordinary. This was made possible only through the application of her unique Sword Arts and the empowerment granted by her unsealed blade.

Merely a few months prior, such a confrontation would have been utterly unimaginable. Facing even a low-rank Overlord would have represented the absolute pinnacle of her capabilities.

But circumstances had dramatically shifted.

Following the unsealing of her potent sword, her overall strength had surged to unprecedented levels. She could now contend with mid-rank species Overlords without facing imminent defeat.

And in the most recent period, her power had climbed even higher.

A significant contributing factor to this rapid ascent was the abundance of resources she had diligently acquired. Isaac had been exceptionally insistent on providing her with a salary for her role as his personal guard. Despite her initial refusal, she eventually acquiesced to his repeated and firm requests.

Every single coin of that compensation had been channeled directly into procuring resources essential for her personal cultivation and advancement.

Now, she possessed the ability to stand toe-to-toe with High-rank Species' Overlords.

Given sufficient preparation time, she could even unleash an attack potent enough to pose a serious threat to an Apex Overlord.

That was her considerable advantage.

Yet, in this specific scenario, it was regrettably insufficient.

Her adversaries were far from ordinary. They comprised High Overlords possessing the combat prowess to challenge Apex-level Overlords, augmented further by two Apex Overlords equipped with formidable, high-level armaments.

If she had been granted a few more months for dedicated training, the outcome might have been vastly different. With additional time, she could have honed her control to exquisite levels, pushed her personal boundaries even further, and perhaps even managed to narrow the critical power disparity.

But such a luxury of time simply did not exist within the current, desperate circumstances.

The shackles that had confined Florathi's movements vanished, and the tides of the battle turned instantly.

Elyndra wasted no time. She extended her hand, her command over space intensifying as she wrenched and twisted the very fabric of the battlefield.

Avery's launched assault veered off course mid-flight.

Instead of striking their intended targets, the attacks curved sharply, hurtling towards Eleanor and Sera.

The two reacted with swiftness, attempting to evade, but an unsettling sensation gripped them. Regardless of their movements—be it running, leaping, or employing their abilities—true distance remained elusive. It was as if they were petrified in place.

An abrupt surge of aura emanated from Sera.

Her spear thrust forward with breathtaking might, cleaving through the spatial distortion and clashing with the redirected onslaught. The collision ignited a ferocious shockwave that radiated outwards, making the very ground tremble.

As the settling dust veiled their surroundings, Sera remained stationary, her frame quivering almost imperceptibly. Her lips had taken on a pallid hue, and her respiration became ragged.

'The System has intensified her restrictions,' Eleanor grasped.

This was anticipated. The System consistently disallowed beings from the Divine Realm from acting with impunity in the Mortal Realm. Sera must have already expended a substantial portion of her Faith to descend. Even so, every potent action she undertook only served to augment the constraints upon her.

Should she exert herself further, the recoil would inevitably escalate.

And now, its effects were undeniable.

Capitalizing on that fleeting instant, Elyndra and X-019 advanced in unison.

X-019 unleashed a volley of missiles in rapid succession, each charting a unique path. Simultaneously, Elyndra contorted space once more, diverting the missiles' courses and redirecting them.

All of them converged upon Sera.

Eleanor intervened without a second's hesitation.

Her sword resonated as Elemental Sword Aura coursed along its blade. She weaved through the incoming fusillade with impeccably timed slashes, bisecting each assault before it could reach its destination.

The ensuing explosions were contained, their force dissipated before inflicting significant harm.

"Can you move?" Eleanor inquired, her tone steady amidst the chaos.

Sera offered a slight shake of her head. "No. I utilized my skill earlier to prevent their retreat and pursuit of Emily. Since I withdrew first, the backlash prevents me from moving for five minutes."

Across the battlefield, the Florathi team's expressions underwent a transformation. The latent tension that had been suppressing them dissolved, replaced by overt confidence.

Up to this juncture, Sera had constituted the primary impediment. Her presence compelled them to divide their focus, thereby creating vulnerabilities that Eleanor could exploit.

Now, that equilibrium was shattered.

All four Overlords surged forward simultaneously.

They attacked as one, acutely aware that Eleanor could not possibly intercept every threat alone, and that Sera was no longer in a position to offer any defense.