"When do we make our move?"
"Soon. I can already feel it. He is preparing to act."
"We must lie in wait. We must endure. Our chance will come only once. We cannot afford to fail."
Deep within the noisy consciousness, rustling whispers echoed ceaselessly. Through Aponia's mental barrier, they watched as the traitor picked up the greatsword, the Judgment of Shamash.
They waited in anticipation for the heavenly fire to descend and burn their comrades, taking the traitor along with them, to sleep eternally in this place.
---o---
The next day, before the sun had risen, a dark glimmer tore through the sky.
It was the aircraft piloted by Pardo, rushing towards p-246 island at maximum speed.
However, as she was about to arrive, what she saw were several MOTHs battleships and a pillar of fire soaring into the sky.
"Dammit... dammit, dammit, dammit!!"
Pardo slammed her fist on the plane's control panel, gritting her teeth, her eyes filled with unwillingness. She knew the plan had already been executed. She was, in the end, a step too late.
It's always like this... Ever since I can remember, everything has been leaving me...
The homeless man who took care of her, the afternoon sun, the old black cat... and now, was even Li going to leave her too?
"Enough... this isn't the time to give up."
Pardo exhaled sharply. Until she saw Li with her own eyes, she would absolutely not give up.
The aircraft landed on the burning island. Pardo leaped out and sprinted towards the base on the island.
---o---
Meanwhile, on the other side of the island.
Two graceful figures appeared simultaneously on the fiery red beach. As they advanced, giant green hands emerged from a shadowy liquid, crushing the surviving Herrscher of Domination individuals one by one.
"Over 800 individuals, and fewer than 50 survived, all of them basically crippled. As expected of Li."
Eden looked at the corpses around her and sighed, her gaze turning towards the top of the base in the distance.
There, Fu Li was half-kneeling on the ground, his entire body engulfed in flames. Though he looked wretched and his consciousness was fading, he was in much better shape than the last time.
However, he would now have to face the accumulated resentment of the Herrscher of Legion.
"Report, Captain Eden. The last individual on our end has been cleared. All that's left is Captain Li and the one you have with you."
"Understood, Destoria. Have the other team members evacuate the island. The First Research Institute will take over from here."
"But..."
"That's an order, Captain Destoria."
Eden's tone hardened slightly. On the other end, the person could only acknowledge the order before silently ending the communication.
"Alright, that's the last one, Mobius."
"Mm, don't kill her yet."
Looking at the female Herrscher of Domination pinned under Eden's foot, scorched and unable to move, Mobius grabbed her by the collar and hoisted her over her shoulder.
However, just as they were about to enter the base, Mobius suddenly curled her lips into a meaningful smile and glanced at a nearby thicket of grass.
"Come on out, Pardo. Your tail is showing."
There was no response. Mobius wasn't in a hurry; she and Eden simply stared at one of the bushes.
After a long moment, Pardo's guilty voice emerged.
"Ahaha... Sister Snakey and Sister Eden, what a coincidence, fancy meeting you here."
"Yes, it is quite the coincidence."
Mobius narrowed her eyes, studying the awkwardly smiling Pardo, and slowly curved her lips. "Where did you get your information?"
"Er... I stumbled upon it by chance while stocking up on supplies."
"Is that so? Never mind." Mobius didn't press the matter, turning to walk inside. "If you want to come in, then come. It's not like there's anything to hide anymore."
"Okay, okay, thanks, Sister Snakey!"
Seeing that Mobius wasn't digging deeper, Pardo let out a long sigh of relief.
If Sister Snakey hadn't let her follow, she probably wouldn't have been able to win a fight against her. Finding another way in would have wasted a lot of time.
The group of three people and one Herrscher passed through a narrow tunnel. The occasionally falling debris and the burning ground did nothing to hinder their progress.
Pardo noticed that they seemed to know exactly where Fu Li was; they didn't hesitate for a second when they came to a fork in the path.
Her cat-like intuition told Pardo two things. First, they were hiding a lot from her. Second, although they appeared calm, they were actually very unhappy and... helpless?
Looking at their placid faces, Pardo swallowed hard, forcing the questions that were on the tip of her tongue back down. She lowered her head and quietly followed behind them.
Now was not a good time for conversation. She just wanted to follow them and find Li, not to cause any more trouble.
Finally, the group passed through the ruins of the base and arrived at the center of the main hall, where they saw Li half-kneeling on the ground with the nun beside him.
As for the Judgment of Shamash that had been used, it was tossed aside on the ground nearby, ignored by everyone.
"You're here."
A voice as gentle as a butterfly's wings sounded. Aponia and Mobius's eyes met for a split second before they tacitly looked away.
"Yes. Aside from Li, we've also brought the last individual."
Mobius threw the dying Herrscher of Domination onto the ground without giving her so much as a glance.
If it weren't for the fact that she still had a use, Mobius really wanted to crush this thing that had hurt Li.
But at that moment, Pardo had already rushed past Mobius, straight to Li's side. She leaned down carefully and asked with concern:
"Li, are you okay?"
She wanted to reach out and touch Fu Li, but the moment she made contact, she instinctively pulled her hand back from the scorching pain.
Pardo knew that Fu Li's current body temperature was at a level incomprehensible to a normal person. Moreover, it couldn't be cooled with water or ice, or his body wouldn't be able to take it.
"I'm fine, Pardo. I just... need a moment to recover."
Seeing the familiar faces, Fu Li also felt a sense of relief, and a sliver of clarity returned to his hazy consciousness.
The reason he had spared the other Herrscher of Domination wasn't out of soft-heartedness; he had another purpose.
Although he had experience fighting against those other resentful spirits, he was simply too weak right now. There was still a chance of failure.
Therefore, he needed another Herrscher of Domination to stay alive for a while longer. During this hard-won respite, he could quickly recover his physical and mental strength before facing the resentful thoughts.
But what no one expected was that just as they were immersed in the joy of their reunion, a sudden change occurred.
The Herrscher, who had been on the verge of death just a moment ago, suddenly snapped her eyes open. Her once light-blue eyes were replaced by a darkness as deep as the abyss, and a strange, empty smile spread across her lips.
Their revenge... had begun.
In her hand, a dagger made of ice quietly formed. She aimed it at her own temple and, without a moment's hesitation, plunged it in.
The Herrscher of Domination will never be a slave.