The tearing pain in his arm was excruciating. Two consecutive instant Judgments had taken their toll on Siegfried.
But just one look at the black mist chasing Bianka was enough for him to grit his teeth, get up, and rush over to take some of the heat off her.
The moment Siegfried started moving, the black mist that was the Herrscher reacted. Two of the chains, which had somehow multiplied to over a hundred, whipped out, wrapped around Siegfried, and threw him...
She didn't even throw him far, just extended the chains to send him away.
Compared to her gentle treatment of Siegfried, the Herrscher's attitude towards Bianka was one of wanting to strangle her immediately.
The chains danced wildly around Bianka, the airtight attack giving her no room to breathe.
One chain, finding an opening, wrapped around Bianka's ankle. The next moment, endless chains bound her, the force from them threatening to strangle her.
"Ugh..."
Although the chains were hard, they were still a type of soft weapon. Having her limbs straightened was one of the worst positions to exert force from. This feeling of being unable to use her strength was the most frustrating.
The chains pulled at Bianka's entire body. As they gradually tightened, a sense of suffocation and dizziness washed over her.
"Although I don't know why you escaped the judgment..." from within the black mist, the voice like a morning drum and evening bell sounded again, "but the sin on you makes it impossible for you to escape."
Crack—!
A sharp pain shot through her left shoulder. Bianka's arm was being pulled behind her by the chains. The pain of the dislocation made her let out a muffled groan.
"I will take out your heart and place it on the scale to complete the judgment..."
"Let her go!!"
The chains binding Siegfried were broken. The Herrscher turned her head, and Siegfried was running towards her, stepping on the suspended chains.
"Those who are not related to the judgment, leave the scene!" the Herrscher shouted sharply, and dozens of chains instantly rushed towards Siegfried's position.
Siegfried flipped over and jumped, dodging all the chains with a few jaw-dropping and ridiculous turns in the air. His agile movements were like a stunning dance.
"Ultimate Fantasy, Sacred Fire of Eden, Star of Judgment of Al-Ahto—" While dodging, Siegfried raised the Star of Judgment in his hand and recited in a low voice.
Using the last incoming chain, Siegfried leaped, kicking the chain from the side. This kick triggered a chain reaction, and the chains collided with each other, entangled, and gathered into a ball.
"Heavenly Fire—"
The Herrscher suddenly realized something and looked back at Siegfried, who had already raised the Star of Judgment above his head.
The Star of Judgment in his hand suddenly opened, turning into a giant lightsaber gushing with high-energy particles.
"Unsheathed—!"
The brilliance that erupted in that instant was comparable to the scorching sun. It did not disappoint its name. The fire seed stolen by Prometheus erupted at this moment, instantly engulfing everything in front of it.
The Herrscher, who had already expanded to the size of a house, suddenly trembled violently. A scorching storm swept over her from the front, forcing her to retreat with Bianka.
This power...
The Herrscher had to look at Siegfried again. In the still-dissipating brilliance, Siegfried rushed out, bathed in flames, and raised his sword to strike the Herrscher again.
The form was not yet complete, but the number of chains was still increasing. At this moment, the chains extending from the black mist had already exceeded five hundred.
A large number of chains formed a spiral shield in front of the black mist. The next moment, with a roar from Siegfried, the scorching sun erupted again, directly shaking off the chains and rushing straight towards the large mass of black mist.
After two consecutive bursts, there was little distance left between Siegfried and the black mist. As for what would happen after they collided head-on, Siegfried didn't know.
But the unknown was never a reason to retreat!
Looking at Siegfried, who was not losing momentum, a hint of helplessness appeared in the Herrscher's heart.
The black mist changed shape, making way for Siegfried and at the same time removing all the chains that could provide him with leverage.
Siegfried was stunned, and then, as expected, he landed.
Seeing that Siegfried was about to spring up and rush towards her again, the Herrscher had to speak to stop him.
"Siegfried Kaslana... you can't win against me."
As she spoke, the Herrscher even stopped tightening the chains, allowing Bianka a rare breath of air.
With a little bit of consciousness left, Bianka turned her gaze with difficulty and looked at Siegfried in confusion.
Why... why is Mr. Siegfried saving me?
Did Bianka really not have the ability to break the chains?
Of course, she did... these chains were by no means indestructible to her. As long as she released her suppression, she could instantly break free. Whether she could defeat this strange person was another matter, but escaping would not be a problem...
But the premise was to release her power... and Bianka absolutely could not do that.
The punch that had hit the Herrscher's face was already Bianka's most out-of-line action. Now that she knew someone was nearby, even if it was the very powerful Mr. Siegfried, Bianka was unwilling to lift her restrictions.
Even if Mr. Siegfried would not be hurt by her, Bianka was not willing to gamble on whether she would lose control and attack him!
It was only when she was bound by the Herrscher's chains that Bianka suddenly remembered something.
She was not some relative of Mr. Siegfried. She was just a failure who had escaped from the Fire Moths... a monster that should not exist in this world...
She was someone who should have died a long time ago, in a corner unknown to anyone... but here she was, sinking, putting so many survivors at risk of her losing control and hurting them at any moment...
What... have I been doing all these days...
So, just now, Bianka had completely given up resisting, not even struggling.
Perhaps it would be best for her to die here... the world would be rid of a monster that would harm everyone, and she would no longer have to suffer the loneliness of being alone...
Aizahár would definitely be saved, because Mr. Siegfried was here... she would take good care of Stan too, right...
Rita and Theresa-senpai had probably forgotten her long ago...
Yes, that's it. End my short life here.
It was a pity that she was not as brilliant as a firework...
"Sorry, but Bianka is the daughter I've acknowledged, so I'm rejecting your nonsensical conditions," Siegfried's angry roar cut through the eternally dark night sky.
"I love her, just as I love everyone in the world! Because they also love me so passionately!"
"And to protect them, to protect the people I love, I am willing to offer my life, and all the glory of the Kaslanas!"