["I thought you had some profound argument, but it's just the same old cliché about chasing power and abandoning humanity."]
[Fu Xuan retorted coldly, "The Xianzhou's ancestors fought alongside the Reignbow Arbiter, destroyed the Ambrosial Arbor, and established the Ten-Lords Commission to delineate life and death, all to live as humans once more."]
["Immortals? There are no immortals on the Xianzhou. All this talk of Abundance miracles and manipulating life and death—your actions are nothing but the deeds of fiends!"]
[Fu Xuan's words barely stirred Dan Shu, who instead let out a disdainful snort. "We have nothing more to say. Master Diviner, you've made your choice to abandon power… the most foolish choice."]
[With that, Dan Shu swept her staff forward, and creatures of the Abundance sprouted from the earth, transforming into wolves, some black, some white.]
[These creatures could split themselves, letting out a howl before dividing into two independent entities.]
[But it was futile. With a wave of Welt's cane, a black hole instantly crushed the spawned creatures into ash, leaving only a scattering of dust.]
[Dan Shu herself was struck by Stelle's bat, the blow leaving her scalp numb and barely able to stand.]
["Why… why is it like this…" Dan Shu stared in disbelief at her still-injured body, which didn't heal as expected. "The Ambrosial Arbor's return was supposed to grant us undying immortal bodies—"]
["The one who gave us the Stellaron… they said…" Dan Shu's tone grew hysterical, a mix of despair and shattered hopes. "Phantylia… the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus succeeded…"]
["The Lord Ravager should fulfill their promise… now! Right now!"]
"Lord Ravager?" Fern asked, puzzled, staring at the empty sea near the Alchemy Commission. Aside from the Astral Express crew and the Cloud Knights, there was nothing. Who was Dan Shu talking to?
"I recall the Lord Ravager is one of Nanook's Emissaries of Destruction, right?" Stark recalled. "When someone of their stature appears, shouldn't they come with a horde of Antimatter Legion?"
Stark remembered Aura, one of the Seven Mages under the Demon King, who arrived with an entire army, an overwhelming presence he'd never forget. Thanks to Frieren, that battle ended without disaster.
"No one said an Emissary has to come with an army," Frieren said calmly. "Besides, that Emissary lady is already here."
"Huh? Where?" Stark squinted.
Frieren pointed to the center of the screen, at the Foxian girl whose smile was growing harder to suppress. "Her."
["Tch, tch. Why force me to act personally? It goes against my aesthetics of [Destruction]," Tingyun said with a light chuckle, feigning exasperation. "Oh well, it seems to make the Xianzhou crumble from within, I'll need another approach…"]
[Tingyun slowly walked past Stelle, hands behind her back, looking like an innocent, curious girl, but her words sent chills down the spine. "What a pity. I wanted to observe a bit longer…"]
[March 7th opened her mouth to speak but was stopped by Stelle. Fu Xuan and Welt watched her warily.]
[Her gaze swept over the Mara-struck before her, and as her red lips parted in a captivating smile, it sent shivers even in such a tense setting.]
[On her slender wrist, a jade bracelet swayed lightly as she raised her arm. Her delicate fingers slid slowly up the Mara-struck's armor, reaching the faceplate, then gave a gentle push—]
[A flame erupted from nowhere, engulfing the Mara-struck in a blazing inferno, their agonized screams filling the air as Tingyun's voice suddenly shifted.]
[Her eyes slowly turned to the group, her index finger lightly touching her chin, her smile still dripping with charm.]
["Since you've received the Abundance's blessing…"]
["You should be able to withstand the blessing… of Destruction."]
[Before her words fully landed, a sharp crack of breaking bone rang out. Tingyun's head twisted 180 degrees backward in an impossibly contorted angle, facing the group with an eerie gaze!]
"WAAAAAHHH—!!"
Power was so startled that she spat her food onto Denji's face.
"What the hell, Power… Yelling out of nowhere is bad enough, don't waste food!" Denji wiped his face with practiced ease, his vision clearing just in time to see Tingyun's sinister, twisted smile on the screen.
"WAAAAAHHH—!!"
Equally startled, Denji instinctively spat the apple pie in his mouth onto Aki Hayakawa's face across from him.
"…"
Aki wiped the sticky apple pie off his face, gritting his teeth. "You two…"
As his vision cleared, he saw Denji and Power cowering on the sofa, trembling. Power's face was ashen, frantically rubbing her neck. "AHHH, that looks so painful!! I don't wanna watch anymore!!"
Denji voiced his complaints. "I came to see cute girls! Why did this turn into a horror movie?!"
"And! Where's my precious Miss Tingyun?! Is she dead?!" He stared in confusion as Tingyun's body collapsed and dissipated into smoke, letting out a pained wail.
"My heart's been stolen by Miss Tingyun. I'll never feel joy or sorrow again…"
In the Demon Slayer world—
"—It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts!"
Mitsuri Kanroji was so pale from fright at the sudden scene that her scream nearly echoed through the entire Demon Slayer Corps, almost sending the Hashira present into shock from her voice alone.
Almost everyone instinctively touched their necks.
The crack of a snapping neck made their teeth ache. Anyone who'd experienced a broken bone knew that sound all too well.
Even just thinking about it… it was excruciating!
On the other side, watching Tingyun collapse like a puppet with cut strings, Zenitsu Agatsuma turned ashen gray, as if he'd shatter at the slightest touch.
The sight of Tingyun's neck snapping made him faint backward, nearly losing his breath, his soul almost fleeing his body.
"Waaah, Phantylia… give me back my Miss Tingyun…" Zenitsu raised a trembling hand, clutching his chest, his face contorted in heart-wrenching pain. "…I wanted to hear her call me Benefactor again…"