"Stop the car first."
Elric didn't bother analyzing Elizabeth's complicated expression anymore. He simply told Elsa to brake, his mind already focused on the obstacle ahead.
The SUV screeched to a sudden halt, tires leaving black marks on the cracked asphalt.
In the next instant, Elric completely vanished from inside the vehicle—spatial swap-position teleportation—and reappeared on the mountain ridge where the massive cluster of mutant plants dominated the landscape.
The absolute moment Elric's feet touched the ground, the tallest mutated locust tree at the center of the forest emitted a pale green pulse of warning light.
HUMMMMM—
The glow intensified rapidly, spreading like ripples through the entire mutant ecosystem.
And then—
SHRIIIK!
Every single thorn-covered vine across the mountainside shot forward at him simultaneously, growing and extending at impossible speeds like thousands of living spears aimed directly at his position.
It was the same defensive response that had forced them to detour on the way to Chicago.
But Elric didn't even flinch.
He simply raised one hand calmly, almost casually.
Molten rock immediately gushed from his body in massive quantities, spreading outward like a crimson tsunami of destruction.
Within seconds, the entire mountaintop had been transformed into a blazing lava basin—superheated magma flowing across every surface, consuming everything in its path.
Every thorn, every vine, every creeping plant—
SIZZLE—SSSHHH!
Turned instantly into drifting ash and smoke, incinerated before they could even touch him.
Only the massive mutant locust tree at the center survived, still glowing with that eerie green light, somehow resisting the apocalyptic heat through sheer supernatural resilience.
Elric's eyes narrowed with interest.
"Alright then. Let's test out the new technique."
His right arm began compressing magma at absolutely impossible density—
CRACK—CRACK—CRACK—
The concentrated energy formed into a molten canine skull, snapping its massive jaws with a hellish bark that echoed across the valley.
"RUUUAAGH!"
The magma hound launched forward like a missile from hell itself.
BOOOOOOOM!
The attack didn't just hit the locust tree—it completely obliterated it. Not blasted apart. Not burned. Just... erased from existence.
And the molten projectile didn't stop there. It plowed straight through the stump, carved through the hillside behind it, and literally reshaped half the mountain into a smoking crater.
Trees, rocks, soil—all gone in one devastating strike.
Elric grinned widely with savage satisfaction.
"Yeah... that's it."
The destructive force exceeded even his optimistic expectations. Technically a single-target assassination technique, but with an explosive impact radius powerful enough to reshape entire landscapes.
This was the kind of attack that ended battles before they started.
Elric casually walked toward the smoking crater where the locust tree had stood moments before.
Naturally, he began searching for a supernatural core crystal—those valuable energy sources that powerful mutant creatures typically left behind when killed.
He scanned the area once using his regular vision.
Nothing obvious.
He activated Clairvoyance and scanned again, this time with supernatural sight.
Still nothing.
Weird. No core crystal at all?
Do mutant plants not drop them? Or was this one just too weak?
He scanned a third time, more carefully, checking every scorched fragment.
Still absolutely nothing.
Then—
"Hmm? Wait, what's this?"
A faint glimmer caught his enhanced eye.
Half-buried in the scorched dirt near where the tree's roots had been was a perfectly round, transparent bead about the size of a marble. It glowed faintly from within with soft golden-green light.
It definitely wasn't shaped like any ability crystal he'd ever seen before. Those were usually irregular and jagged. This was smooth, almost manufactured-looking.
Still...
If it came from the mutated tree, it probably had some kind of value. Maybe it was a plant-type crystal with different properties?
Elric shrugged and pocketed the mysterious bead without much thought.
He could analyze it later, or let Elizabeth run her scientific tests on it.
Back at the SUV's position on the highway, Elsa had stepped out of the vehicle to watch from a safe distance.
The moment Elric teleported back to her location, she looked at him with pure admiration and awe written across her face.
Her voice actually trembled slightly with emotion. "You're getting even stronger. How... how powerful are you now, really?"
It was a genuine question born from wonder and slight fear.
Elric had only used two moves—just two techniques—and he'd nearly flattened two entire mountain ridges. The scale of destruction was almost incomprehensible.
Inside the SUV, both Elsa and Elizabeth sat in stunned silence, having witnessed everything through the windows.
His power level wasn't just high-tier anymore. It had crossed into something genuinely monstrous—the kind of strength that belonged in legends, not reality.
Elsa's initial shock quickly transformed into pure excitement though.
The stronger Elric became, the safer her future looked. More stability, better protection, guaranteed survival in this nightmare world.
She couldn't help herself—she jumped out of the driver's seat, ran over, and hugged him tightly with genuine affection.
Elizabeth, however, remained motionless in the middle row.
But her eyes—wide behind those stylish glasses—burned with intense scientific hunger and fascination.
His ability system is completely beyond any recorded mutation pattern...
What kind of fruit did he actually consume? How does his body integrate that much energy without rejection? Why zero side effects? What's the biological mechanism?
Her brilliant mind was already frantically rearranging research priorities.
Studying Elric had just become her number one scientific obsession, surpassing even the Ability Tree research.
Elric climbed back into the rear seat of the SUV with practiced ease.
But he didn't immediately continue his earlier "punishment" of Elizabeth.
Not because he'd changed his mind or lost interest—but because half the damn highway had been blown apart by the shockwave from his attack. The ride would be bumpy as hell, and these leather seats weren't exactly ideal for intimate activities.
Besides, Elizabeth wasn't going anywhere. She was his now, officially recruited.
He could deal with her properly once they reached somewhere comfortable with an actual bed.
"Alright, keep driving back home," Elric instructed casually.
Elsa nodded enthusiastically, restarted the SUV's engine, and carefully continued down the damaged highway, navigating around the worst crater sections.
Elric stretched out comfortably across the entire back row like it was his personal couch.
Then he glanced at Elizabeth and gestured lazily.
"Come here. Sit properly."
She obeyed without verbal protest, repositioning herself.
Elric immediately placed his head on her lap, using her thighs as a pillow.
Though Elizabeth's expression remained outwardly calm and neutral, she subtly shifted her long legs beneath him, carefully adjusting her position to make his "pillow" more comfortable.
A small gesture, but telling.
The ice queen was already starting to melt, even if she didn't fully realize it yet.
With Elsa's skilled driving and Elric's occasional spatial teleportation assistance to bypass the worst obstacles, they quickly cleared the dangerous mutant-infested area.
But not long after passing the destroyed highway section, a notable geographical landmark appeared on their right side—
The Grand Canyon Region
A vast, beautiful canyon opened up beside the highway, stretching as far as the eye could see.
And strangely—impossibly—
The entire canyon was completely free of apocalypse fog.
That thick gray mist that blanketed literally every other region, that had covered the entire world for weeks now, only hung along the upper cliff edges.
Inside the canyon itself?
Crystal clear. Completely untouched. Almost idyllic, like stepping back in time to before the apocalypse.
Even stranger, massive bioluminescent plants grew everywhere down there—huge flowering specimens and glowing trees that pulsed with soft light.
These clearly weren't supernatural beasts or mutant monsters. But they definitely weren't normal plants either.
The entire scene looked like something from a fantasy movie.
Then—
FWIP!
A flicker of emerald-green light appeared near the canyon floor.
One particular glowing stalk of grass suddenly shimmered and transformed—
Into a stunningly beautiful woman dressed entirely in flowing green robes.
She appeared barefoot on the canyon floor, holding a small gray-and-white kitten cradled in her arms.
Her face was pale, almost ghost-white, and her expression showed genuine shock as she stared up toward the distant highway where Elric had been fighting moments before.
She whispered softly to herself, voice barely audible:
"Two strikes... and two entire mountains reshaped. Just gone."
Her eyes narrowed with concern.
"In my previous life timeline, within this New Austin regional boundary, no ability user ever displayed power on that scale. Not even close."
She paused, clearly troubled.
"Did my intervention and rebirth shift the timeline variables this much already? If so... dangerous unpredictable elements are appearing far earlier than expected."
The small kitten in her arms meowed softly, as if responding.
She gently stroked its head with obvious affection.
"Doesn't matter ultimately. My primary goal remains unchanged regardless of timeline shifts."
Her voice hardened with determination.
"In this second life, I will obtain that item. The one I failed to secure before."
"And I'll rebuild my influence network in New Austin City properly this time."
She looked down at the cat.
"Right, Mimi?"
The cat meowed again, almost like agreement.
The mysterious woman in green robes took one last look toward the distant highway where the SUV was disappearing, then turned and walked deeper into the glowing canyon.
Her form gradually faded, becoming translucent, then vanishing completely among the bioluminescent plants as if she'd never existed at all.
None of the people in the SUV had any idea they'd just been observed.
Elric continued resting comfortably on Elizabeth's lap, eyes closed.
Elsa focused on driving, humming softly to herself.
Elizabeth sat motionless, her scientific mind still processing what she'd witnessed during the fight.
And unconscious Nina continued sleeping, completely unaware of everything.
The SUV rolled steadily onward through the apocalyptic landscape, carrying its strange collection of passengers toward home.