The air crackled. In the blink of an eye, the golden form of the Judgnt of Shamash materialized in Otto's hand. Without a shred of hesitation, he pulled the trigger, aiming directly at Rovel.
But the mont Otto had appeared, Rovel was already moving. He had seen this coming. His Swordsmanship Domain flared to life, infused with the twin currents of the Sword Ki of Taixuan and his own Lightning Sword Intent. His perception and reflexes surged to a terrifying new height.
He threw himself sideways.
A heartbeat later, a deafening BOOM tore through the air where he had just stood. The building behind him erupted, instantly swallowed by a raging sea of fire. The very path the beam had carved through the air shimred, its molecules vaporized by the terrifying heat.
"Good reaction, Descender," Otto comnted calmly, withdrawing the Judgnt of Shamash as if he hadn't just attempted to incinerate Rovel. His voice was placid, almost academic. "But how long do you think you can last in this world of data?"
The divine pistol in Otto's hand dissolved and reford, transforming into the massive, ornate cross of the Oath of Judah. Its center unfolded, revealing the complex chanisms within. A mont later, eleven spears of light, tethered by golden chains, shot out simultaneously, screaming through the air toward Rovel.
He rembered the terrifying power of Judah he had witnessed in Theresa's office. If even one of those chains found its mark, it was over. He could essentially declare himself dead on the spot.
Rovel didn't dare to be careless for a single second. He imdiately activated his Spirit Blade Form.
"Hokushin Ittō-ryū: Ultimate Technique—Moonlit Shadow Dance!"
His body dissolved into a shadow, an epheral blur invisible to the naked eye, and he weaved through the deadly web of chains. The eleven lances, along with the chains trailing behind them, passed through his incorporeal form and shattered into motes of golden light, vanishing like a dream.
A strange look flashed across Otto's face. A complex, unreadable emotion flickered deep within his green eyes as he observed Rovel's transford appearance.
Just then, a white figure could be seen rushing toward them from a distance. Otto glanced in that direction, and with a final, lingering look at Rovel, his body dissolved into a cascade of data and vanished.
Hearing the commotion outside, Kallen had assud a Honkai Beast was attacking and had broken straight out of her cell. From afar, she saw it—a flash of pink hair, the distinct silhouette of long fox ears. A surge of impossible hope seized her heart, and her eyes filled with a desperate excitent.
"Sakura?!"
But as she drew closer, the illusion shattered. When she saw Rovel's face clearly, the hope in her eyes died, replaced by a stark, cutting disappointnt.
"...No, you're not Sakura. Who are you?!" Kallen demanded, her brow furrowing as she took in the sight of the stranger.
"I am Rovel," he introduced himself simply.
"Little fox?" Kallen blinked, the pieces clicking together in a bizarre way. The small fox that had just left her cell not long ago had sohow turned into a... well, a rather handso young man. Was this so strange tale of a fox spirit repaying a kindness? She was quite sure she hadn't been to any snowy mountains recently.
"You could say that," Rovel admitted with a nod.
"What is your relationship with Sakura?" Kallen pressed, her voice urgent.
"We can talk about that later. Right now, you should go save those people," Rovel said, deflecting the question and pointing behind him.
Only then did Kallen notice the cries for help coming from the building engulfed in flas. The trapped residents were screaming in helpless terror.
Without a mont's hesitation, Kallen charged straight into the fire, wearing no protection whatsoever. The news of Sakura was critically important to her, but the mission of the Kaslana family—to protect the people—was a creed etched into her very soul. If she had to choose, she would always put herself last.
She was just that kind of pure, selfless person.
"I have to say, she really is quite the 'succubus'," Rovel muttered to himself, watching Kallen's retreating back with a complicated expression. He then reverted to his original form and slipped away from the scene.
Her face smudged with soot and her clothes singed, Kallen erged from the inferno, having saved over a dozen people. She expected relief, perhaps gratitude. What she received were the cold, unyielding points of the city guards' blades.
"Miss Kallen, you escaped from prison without permission, compounding your cris. Co back with to face judgnt," Arthur, the captain, stepped forward and spoke, his voice heavy.
Kallen said nothing. She glanced toward the spot where Rovel had been standing, but he was long gone. She lowered her head in resignation, allowing the guards to place her in shackles.
That afternoon, Kallen's execution began.
Rovel stood openly in the middle of the crowd, his expression unreadable as he watched Kallen walk, step by step, toward the gallows. He knew Otto wouldn't dare show his face here. He couldn't possibly confront this Kallen, the one whose self-awareness had fully awakened.
The people gathered around couldn't understand. Why would soone as gentle and kind as Kallen be sentenced to a public execution? Murmurs of anger and confusion rippled through the crowd, but they were quickly silenced.
"Do not doubt the Lord Bishop's judgnt!" one of the Beaked Guards shouted, his voice sharp. "If I hear any more questioning, I'll arrest you all for heresy!"
Instantly, the crowd fell silent. Everyone lowered their heads, afraid that a single stray glance would see them branded as heretics. In this era, power was absolute.
The guard then turned and whispered respectfully to the man beside him, "Lord Arthur, it's about ti."
Arthur didn't speak. He stepped forward and personally placed the coarse rope around Kallen's neck.
Suddenly, a nearby rooftop exploded! The sound drew everyone's attention.
"Hah!" A white blur descended from the sky like a cot, landing with a ground-shaking thud. In a whirlwind of motion, the figure dispatched the Beaked Guards on the platform with brutal efficiency, leaving only Arthur standing.
"Kiana..." Kallen whispered, looking at the newcor in disbelief.
From within the crowd, Rovel let out a long sigh and vaulted onto the gallows.
"Rovel?!" Kallen was shocked once again.
Why were they both here?
"I was careless last ti, but I definitely won't lose to you this ti," Kiana declared, watching Arthur with a cautious glare.
"Didn't I tell you to go back? Why are you here again?" Rovel asked, a note of weary exasperation in his voice.
"Hmph, how could I let you have all the cool monts to yourself!" Kiana said, wiping her nose with a thumb. "We're comrades who fought our way out of Nagazora City together! Don't underestimate !"
"Looks like we have to do this all over again," Rovel sighed, watching as more soldiers began to gather and surround the platform.
"Go east," Arthur said calmly, his voice cutting through the tension. "There are no guards to the east, and a carriage has been arranged. Take Miss Kallen and leave this place."
"Eh? So you're not a bad guy, old man?" Kiana scratched her head, confused.
"Grandpa Arthur, if you let go, you'll..." Kallen began, her eyes filled with concern.
"It's fine. I'm at this age already. Even if I'm punished, I'll have no regrets. Go, quickly," Arthur insisted, turning to block the path of the advancing guards. He settled into a combat stance, a lone bastion against the tide.
"Please," he pleaded earnestly, his eyes on Rovel and Kiana. "You must protect Miss Kallen."
"...Don't worry, old man. I will change all of this," Rovel promised with a firm nod.
"It's 'we'," Kiana corrected him, dissatisfied. She then snapped the rope around Kallen's neck and, hoisting the astonished woman onto her back, broke into a sprint toward the east.
But they hadn't gotten far before the ground began to tremble. Alleys and streets vomited forth monstrous shapes as a horde of Honkai Beasts suddenly appeared in the city.
"Kiana, don't look back. Leave this to ," Rovel said softly.
"No way! How can you handle so many Honkai Beasts alone?!" Kallen cried out urgently from Kiana's back.
Rovel didn't answer. A sharp hiss escaped his lips as a searing, agonizing heat erupted from his back. The Stigmata felt like it was burning straight through his flesh, a brand of raw power and excruciating pain.
In the next second, he activated his Spirit Blade Form. His figure beca a pink-hued flash, a phantom dancing across the battlefield, his blade a silver arc of death.
Watching that familiar pink blur, Kallen was stunned. For a dazed mont, she thought she was seeing the ghost of Yae Sakura.
"Kallen, run that way," Rovel's voice cut through her reverie. "A shorty will be there to et you in a bit."
But how could Kiana possibly feel at ease letting Rovel face such an overwhelming number of Honkai Beasts alone? She set Kallen down and joined the fray.
"Kallen." A voice called out to her.
She turned to see Otto standing there, his face a mask of desperate sincerity.
"Kallen, I've released all the Honkai Beasts from the Schicksal Dungeon. The troops deployed here will soon be overwheld. Before Schicksal can react, let's leave this place together!"
"Otto... why would you do this?!" Kallen's voice was laced with a fury born of betrayal.
"I... I did it to save you! After we escape, let's go to the Far East—to that place you've always wanted to go."
The only response he received was the sharp, cracking sound of Kallen's hand striking his face.
"I am of the Kaslana family," she declared, her voice trembling with righteous anger. "I am the shield of the people. I will never run away and abandon them to their fate!"
"Kiana, let's lead the Honkai Beasts away!" Kallen shouted.
"Okay!" Kiana agreed instantly. The two began to work in tandem, fighting not just to survive, but to save one civilian after another from the claws of the rampaging beasts.
"Ugh..." Rovel grunted, feeling the power in his body being consud at a terrifying rate. The Stigmata on his back was scorching him, draining his very life force. He didn't understand what was happening to it; all he could do was swing his blade, slaying one Honkai Beast after another in a grim, unending cycle.
"Rovel!" Kiana shouted, rushing to his side to block a sudden attack from a beast that had flanked him. "Are you okay?"
"Sorry," Rovel gritted out, forcing himself back to his feet. "I wanted to act cool, but I ended up being a burden instead."
"Stop saying such nonsense! There are too many of them to kill. We need to find a way to lead them away," Kiana said, her eyes scanning the area for any possible advantage.
"Ah!!!"
A little girl's scream tore through the chaos.
Kiana and Rovel whipped their heads around. Ti seed to warp, to stretch and slow. They saw the Honkai Beast. They saw its claws.
They saw Kallen's body, pierced through.
The entire world dissolved into a muted, soundless void.
And from the center of the burning Stigmata on Rovel's back, a blade of pure, abyssal darkness began to erge.
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