It was not flames and shockwaves!
It was billions of crystal-clear, diamond-sharp ice crystal fragments, mixed with chaotic gravity fragments and magical currents, forming a destructive ice-dust storm that swept towards the dazed Angel!
"Argh—!" Angel instinctively crossed her arms to protect her head and face, but her protective magic seemed so fragile under the dual tearing of instantaneous freezing and gravity!
Ice crystal fragments cut countless fine wounds into her body like countless sharp blades!
The powerful impact also threw her backward violently!
Bang!
She slammed heavily against the hard rock wall dozens of meters away, her body sliding limply to the ground.
Blood instantly stained her torn clothes and the ice-covered scorched rock.
Puff… She struggled to get up, but then suddenly spat out a mouthful of hot blood, her entire upper body feeling as though it had come apart, her magic circuits chaotic from the freezing and gravity impact, the intense pain causing her vision to blacken in waves.
Smoke and ice mist slowly dissipated.
Yukino gasped violently, sweat mixed with tears streaming down her pale cheeks, the continuous summoning and release of extreme magic leaving her teetering, but she leaned on the ice crystal sword plunged into the ground, staring intently in her sister's direction.
Angel lay slumped in the cold rubble, her silvery-white hair clinging messily to her face, stained with blood and ice shards.
Her body was covered in fine ice crystal scratches and bruises, the wound on her chest torn by the arrow still seeping blood, which quickly congealed in the cold.
Her ice-blue eyes, identical to Yukino's, now stared unfocused at the gloomy sky, filled with an unshakeable mixture of pain, despair, and a blankness after her shell had been completely shattered.
The coldness and malevolence belonging to Angel, under the crushing defeat and severe injuries, deflated like a punctured balloon, leaving only the fragility and confusion belonging to Sorano.
"Why…" she spoke weakly, her voice hoarse like a broken bellows, filled with the deepest confusion and pain far greater than her physical wounds, "…why… didn't you kill me?"
This question was directed at Yukino, but it sounded more like she was interrogating her own chaotic soul.
She couldn't understand why her sister, after enduring such a fatal attack from her, ultimately chose not revenge, but… salvation?
Yukino staggered forward, each step incredibly heavy.
She stopped before Angel, looking down at her battered sister, tears blurring her vision.
"Because…" Yukino's voice was choked and firm, tinged with the exhaustion of a depleted heart, yet possessing a rock-solid conviction, "…you are my sister, Sorano. Even if you sink into the abyss, stained with sin… I will not abandon you! I will use my power to pull you back from the darkness! This battle is my resolve!"
She slowly crouched down, extended her hand, and gently wiped away the glaring crimson at the corner of Angel's mouth.
At this touch, cold fingers brushed over warm blood, as if touching a soul sealed for many years. Angel's body trembled violently, and in her ice-blue eyes, the cold, despairing barrier finally completely disintegrated, something soft and fragile surging forth.
"I'm sorry…" Tears flowed unimpeded, washing away the bloodstains on her face, leaving desolate streaks on her pale face.
This apology was no longer Angel's defense, but Sorano's deepest, most painful remorse from the depths of her heart.
"…I'm sorry… Yukino… I… I…"
She choked, unable to speak.
She surrendered.
Not just because of their blood ties, but because her sister was willing to endure immense risks, willing to exhaust her magic to the point of near collapse, yet still insisted on calling out, insisted on "not killing," insisted on proving her belief in salvation through battle.
This almost stubborn protection, like the most dazzling light breaking through the dark night, made it impossible for her to hide behind Angel's facade any longer.
However, just as the spark of hope in Yukino's eyes was rekindled by her sister's tears, and her fingers were about to caress her sister's cheek—
"Rumble—!!!"
In the distance, from the direction of the third leg's base, an earth-shattering explosion and immense energy fluctuations suddenly erupted!
This was immediately followed by Lucy's cry, mixed with pain and anger, as if she had been severely wounded!
And an incredibly fast, suffocating blue stream of light was frantically bombarding the base!
Lucy had encountered Lissanna's ambush!
Yukino's hand suddenly froze in mid-air.
She abruptly turned to look, then back at her severely wounded, weeping sister on the ground, her eyes filled with struggle, anxiety, and determination.
The base had to be destroyed!
Her comrades were fighting a bloody battle!
"Sister Sorano…" Yukino's voice was low and urgent, carrying suppressed pain and immense resolve. She stood up, recalled all her Celestial Spirits, "Lucy needs me! I must go! But… promise me, live!"
She looked deeply at her sister on the ground, whose tears were flowing like a river, as if to engrave this unforgettable reunion and pain firmly in her heart.
She knew she couldn't take her sister with her; Brain's shadow hung like a Sword of Damocles.
"Wait for me to come back and save you!" Yukino left this whispered promise, no longer hesitating.
She wiped away her tears, disregarded her body's fatigue and pain, burst forth with her last strength, transforming into a white shadow, and rushed unhesitatingly towards the direction of the explosion!
The faint glow of Celestial Spirits shimmered behind her, a power of protection, and also a guiding starlight for her return.
On the shattered scorched rock, Sorano Agria looked with despair and longing at her sister's departing back, tears like broken pearls, soaking her clothes and the scorched earth beneath her.
She opened her mouth, wanting to call out to her, wanting to tell her to be careful, but it ultimately dissolved into a low, inaudible, broken sob.
"Yuki…no…"
[I've tried my best to write this; I'm really not good at emotional scenes, so please bear with me. I'm usually quite dull, so it's hard for me to describe such intense emotional fluctuations.]
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