Although she spoke lightly, Sessyoin remained vigilant, watching Tenkei Shiomi's every move.
Among those fighting her, if anyone could pose a real threat to Sessyoin Kiara in her transformation into a Beast, it could only be him.
Despite her current appearance, only Sessyoin herself knew—she had yet to fully gather the Mana necessary to complete her transformation into a Beast.
In other words, she wasn't at full power.
Shiomi's group was advancing too quickly. Neither Passionlip, Meltryllis, nor even Suzuka Gozen could slow them down.
They would just end up becoming allies instead.
This was exactly why she avoided calling more Servants to attack. Doing so would only further tip the balance against her.
Shiomi kept calling Tiamat "Mother." Sessyoin couldn't get a solid grasp on the situation—she had no idea what exactly had happened to him.
There was no doubt he was still human, yet he was clearly wielding the power of the Second Beast.
The "Chaos Tide" was just one part of its manifestation.
Had he summoned the Beast? Or was there another reason?
Whatever the case, this battle had already shifted to another level entirely.
With weapons discarded, it had devolved into a brawl.
Sessyoin, who excelled in close combat, wasn't at a disadvantage in this kind of fight.
"Hehehe~ Instead of trading punches, I'd much rather connect with your body directly," Sessyoin teased, continuing her provocation.
This woman radiated wicked charm—every word, every gesture, even the scent of her body was enough to tempt and corrupt most Servants who let their guard down.
"No need!" Shiomi kicked away Sessyoin's palm strike. "I'm not desperate enough to crave rotten meat."
"How heartless~"
Faced with another flat rejection, Sessyoin sighed with regret.
"I was genuinely curious, you know. As fellow Beasts, wouldn't you like to see what comes from our union?"
"So that's how it is. In your eyes, I already carry the aura of a Beast." Shiomi wasn't surprised.
He was directly linked to the mind of the Goddess Tiamat, receiving her support from the Sea of Imaginary Numbers. If not for Sessyoin already existing as a Beast, the outside world might have mistaken him for an unhatched Beast himself.
"Oh my?" Sessyoin blinked in slight surprise.
But she didn't have time to dwell on it. The Chaos Tide surged again behind Shiomi, rising rapidly.
From within it emerged a massive dragon-like head.
Though only the head, its neck was formed from the Chaos Tide, and the gaping maw lunged toward Sessyoin.
"…What is that?!"
Sessyoin hurriedly formed a hand seal and raised a barrier, but the attack shattered it like fragile glass.
The beast's jaws clamped down on her in an instant. She struggled violently, but it was no use.
A dozen Demon Pillars swept in to strike the enormous dragon head—larger than Sessyoin herself—but just before they hit, the head dissolved back into the Chaos Tide and collapsed.
Caught off guard, Sessyoin once again felt the Chaos Tide wash over her.
Previously, her body's unique connection to the cosmos had protected her from excessive corrosion. Now, the effect was reversed.
"Not looking good, Sessyoin." Shiomi charged in, aiming to press the advantage.
But the Demon Pillars blocked his path. They couldn't stop him outright, but they did slow him down.
"You think attacks like needle pricks can accomplish anything?" Sessyoin taunted, undeterred.
At the same time, she began healing herself.
"Matter Is Eternal."
This technique could repair her physical injuries to the greatest extent, but it had no effect on the "poison" of the Sea of Life.
It wasn't a real toxin—it simply rewrote the life it touched.
Even as a Beast, Sessyoin had not yet transcended death. She was still a living being, and her spell could only suppress the damage from the Chaos Tide to a minimal degree.
By the time the Demon Pillars vanished and Shiomi closed in, the external wounds on Sessyoin's body had completely healed.
"Salvation of Bodhisattva, Fist of Kannon."
Ignoring the incoming punch, Sessyoin raised her palm and struck straight at Shiomi's chest. The impact pierced through him and even briefly displaced the air behind him, creating a momentary vacuum.
Blown away by Shiomi's punch, Sessyoin was torn from the pale hands anchoring her to the ground and sent flying.
But Shiomi couldn't follow up. Her counterattack had effectively halted his momentum.
"The time for salvation has come. Let me deliver you to heaven."
Suspended in midair, Sessyoin gradually steadied herself and began to ascend.
Though traces of Shiomi's punch still marked her face, they did nothing to diminish the peerless beauty of this Demonic Bodhisattva.
The surrounding light collapsed inward as if swallowed by a black hole, and the digital space was plunged into pitch darkness.
Yet despite the blackness, Shiomi could still see Sessyoin's figure—and the figures of others battling the Demon Pillars.
But Sessyoin saw only him.
Right now, Shiomi was the only one that mattered.
She didn't know why, but she could feel it—Beast II's power had an overwhelming compatibility with her own.
The primordial mother.
No being born of this planet could defy their original mother.
She had to sever Shiomi's connection to the Goddess Tiamat.
The only way was to strike at his mind.
She slowly raised her hand, touching thumb to ring finger in a sacred mudra.
"Tranquil Stagnation of Myriad Lusts—welcome back to the lotus."
A crushing wave of mental pressure descended as Sessyoin launched a full-scale assault on Shiomi's psyche.
"Humans are immature beasts—devouring desire, drowning in it. Like bubbles of fruit melting into lust..."
She extended the hand sealed in the mudra toward Shiomi.
"If a bodhisattva-like goddess could embrace that beastliness, how could you possibly reject such vast and boundless love? Enlightenment and liberation—both lie at your fingertips."
"…If you claim all humans are beasts, then you're one of them too, Beast!" Shiomi roared.
Somehow, everyone else had vanished—only he and Sessyoin remained in the void.
"The time of salvation has come.…"
Once again, Sessyoin unleashed her Noble Phantasm.
...
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