The Elite Shadow Orc's pride as a ninja flared up, making him want to fight against the fire and light of Blazelle's fury. He wanted to gather all of his strength and sustain the [Lesser Unity Defense] that protected him all this while.
But surprisingly, his defenses were getting whittled down slowly. As the fire in Blazelle's body burned even brighter, it would only be a matter of time until there was a hole in the invisible prismatic shield that protected him.
That would not be ideal. After all, part of the reason why they were even able to stealth around in other people's shadows was precisely because of the [Lesser Unity Defense] that they innately had on their bodies. It was able to destroy or nullify any magical scans or investigations that would have otherwise discovered them.
And if his [Lesser Unity Defense] was broken, there was a huge chance that Blazelle would discover him, and therefore discover the presence of the Shadows of Reborn. That cannot happen at all cost.
He had to make a choice. The Elite Shadow Orc chose to abandon his post, leaving Blazelle's very own shadow. And for security's sake, he motioned for the other shadows in the Bastard Bandits' hideout to leave with him and not risk the chance.
Blazelle's power was not something they expected, which meant that it was not something they could measure. If it could burn through the [Lesser Unity Defense] like that, then there was a chance that she could find out the truth about the Shadows of Reborn.
About a hundred Chunin (Mid Shadow), fifty Jonin (High Shadow), and two Elite Shadow Force members retreated from the Bastard Bandits' hideout, not even leaving a shadow clone behind.
This would be the first failure of the Shadows of Reborn. Even though they successfully retreated before anyone even found out they were there in the first place, the Elite Shadow Force members felt like they had failed Michael since they weren't able to find out how Blazelle was able to emit that kind of power.
It was a power that not even their own mana could sense. It was as if it was a different power altogether, something alien, something foreign.
And before the Shadows truly left, the Elite Shadow Orc took one look back at Blazelle.
Her body was glowing as if her skin was on fire. The illumination of her anger allowed no shadow to form inside the cave, making every bandit squint as she became too blindingly hot for them to look at.
"GRAHHH!" Blazelle screamed one last time, her shout lingering, releasing all of her anger onto the cave.
And before the whole place lit ablaze with a light so blinding, Wano and the bandits nearest Blazelle suddenly saw a mysterious form appear above her head. It felt like the very personification of fire had come down and blessed Blazelle with the power to burn even more brightly than the sun itself!
And at the end of her shout, slowly, the light and fire subsided.
Blazelle's body slowly started dimming as she tried to catch her breath. The strange power that overcame her body began to vanish as well, leaving behind only burn marks in a circle around her feet.
Some unfortunate bandit who got too close to her suffered multiple burns all over their body.
But Wano, the Bandit Leader, couldn't seem to care at all. He kept looking at the empty space above Blazelle's head.
There was nothing there, yet Wano was sure he saw some kind of apparition or some kind of figure appear above her. And despite squinting, his powers of observation allowed him to figure out that Blazelle's overwhelming power of light came from none other than the mysterious figure that appeared above her.
It was that fiery figure that was the source of all the non-mana power she emitted.
"Haaa…haaa…" Blazelle panted. "Damn that Hestu. He made me summon my Diva."
She raised the rapier in her line of sight, looking at the blades and its orange handle for any signs of damage. She gritted her teeth when she saw a slight burn mark on the lower part of the knuckle guard.
Wano, overcome with curiosity, spoke up.
"Miss Blazelle…what was that?" he asked with caution.
The Flarecorp woman looked around the room and saw the Bandits look at her in a completely different light. Back then, they stared at her with disdain and mockery with no sense of respect for her stature as the third in command of Flarecorp itself.
But now, all she could see were gazes filled with fear and unease. They were terribly frightened at the so-called 'Diva' that she summoned, and the unknown power that it held that was completely different from the one they knew all their lives.
That image of that fiery figure above her head would forever be burned into their minds.
"Hmph. Now you understand the true power of a woman like me," Blazelle said with a chuckle. "What you saw there is something called a 'Diva'. It is not something that any of you can just obtain for yourselves. It is reserved only for Maugnetics or chosen ones like me.
You must have noticed it by now. My power is not something you can even detect. It is completely different from mana, meaning that you measly Physical and Mystical Art spells cannot defeat someone like me.
That is why we are superior. Flarecorp is superior. Get that through your heads. If you surrender yourselves to our company, then maybe you too can wield this power in the future."
Her last words sent a wave of shock and longing into these Bastard Bandits. The temptation of having that power, that 'Diva', overcame their pride as a lone bandit and allowed them to finally accept being subordinated to Flarecorp.
"If you Bastard Bandits help us conquer the Southern Tip of the Queens region, then we shall reward you with a chance.
If you help us overthrow the Reborn company, then we shall test if you are Maugnetic yourself. And if that test succeeds, then you will be given a priceless treasure by our King.
You will be given a GodForge piece like I have been!"
Blazelle slightly ripped away the armor in her chest, revealing a surgical scar that spanned an entire finger length.
"Once you have undergone the procedure, you can awaken your own 'Diva'!" Blazelle shouted, raising her rapier up in the air.
A simmering fire suddenly erupted above her, creating an amorphous figure of flames and inferno. This apparition had no eyes nor face, just a head, an upper body, and two flaming, handless arms.
"This Diva's true power can only be controlled using a Mithril Relic," Blazelle said, waving her rapier in the air.
And consequently, the flaming apparition above her raised its arms and followed her movements.
"But not just any Mithril Relic. It must be added with the Spirit of Old, or more commonly known as the Oil of Old!"
Wano's eyes widened, recognizing that name.
It was a very exotic and rare ingredient only found in the deepest depths of the seas, distributed only by the Ocean King and his territories. Because of this, the price of the Oil of Old became extravagant enough for only billionaires to be able to afford.
Was that the reason why Flarecorp wanted to conquer the Southern Tip of the Queens region?