The flames engulfing the entire city were not just a display of the Ever-Flame Mansion's might.
Each spark was an eye of Duke Inferno.
Wherever the firelight shone, no one could escape their gaze.
And so, Duke Inferno saw them.
He saw one of the individuals who had stepped into the blaze. It was none other than the female swordswoman he had chanced upon not long ago, while on his way to the Herta Space Station.
Even though he had only a wisp of his flame present at the time, having tasted a strike from her blade, Duke Inferno knew all too well that her strength was utterly terrifying.
Furthermore, back then, he had merely mentioned a certain name, and the swordswoman—who had initially acted out of pure benevolence to protect the passengers on the starship—was instantly consumed by a murderous intent directed at him.
And the person that name represented...
White hair, blue eyes, wielding a massive, crimson greatsword, and commanding the elements of fire.
A woman matching every single one of those descriptions was now standing right beside the swordswoman.
"I see. So that woman is Sylvia? Then today... will surely be a celebration of Destruction."
Clutching his cane, Duke Inferno strode elegantly into the grand hall to summon his subordinates.
The enemy was powerful, but the Ever-Flame Mansion was never weak.
Constance was his proudest child, and her abilities were uniquely suited for reconnaissance.
Before long, Duke Inferno's other three children arrived in the grand hall, gathering together.
"My children, prepare yourselves to welcome our guests."
Thud. As his cane struck the carpet, the surging flames outside the window rose and danced with joy.
The Duke Inferno was already itching for a fight, eagerly anticipating the war of Destruction that was about to unfold.
Even after stepping into the sea of fire, Mei maintained her stance, hand resting on her sheathed blade, while holding Sylvia's hand.
To her, it was as if the Ever-Flame Mansion was no different from the collapsing Jepella Palace outside.
ROAR! The surrounding flames suddenly grew lively, roaring and wildly unleashing the power of Destruction.
The very atmosphere of the fire had shifted noticeably.
Sylvia, who was actively pushing back against the blaze, naturally felt the change more acutely.
"The mood of the fire has changed... They must have noticed us."
As she spoke, Sylvia turned her head to look at Mei, her gaze darting repeatedly to their tightly clasped hands.
The hint could not have been more obvious.
Yet Mei completely feigned ignorance, even putting on an act as she replied, "Yes, if they couldn't even detect this much, he wouldn't be the Duke Inferno."
"...So, are you going to let go now? The enemy is about to arrive."
Ahem— Mei's cheeks flushed slightly, and she cleared her throat, turning her head away.
Reluctantly, she let go of the hand she had been gripping so tightly. She flexed her fingers uncomfortably in the empty air before finally resting her hand back on the scabbard in her left hand.
"I accidentally forgot. My memory has always been rather poor, after all."
Talk about lying through your teeth.
Sylvia didn't even know how to begin calling her out.
She was just wondering now: in the future, when they were no longer operating alone as a duo, would Mei still act like this?
Surely it wouldn't go that far, right?
Sylvia pursed her lips, feeling uncertain.
Back when March 7th and Stelle were around, Mei's behavior had been perfectly normal. Aside from sitting a bit closer to her, she hadn't shown any particularly ridiculous sides to herself.
Right at that moment, Mei's footsteps suddenly halted. She angled her scabbard across Sylvia's front to bar her path.
The trace of a smile on her face vanished, instantly replaced by a serious, razor-sharp expression.
"Someone's coming."
Click... clack...The sound of high heels striking the floor approached from the distance.
Even amidst the howling roar of the wind and flames, the sound was exceptionally distinct.
A cluster of eerie blue flames parted, and emerging from within was a tall woman dressed in a white gown and a white top hat.
"Mm-hmm~ Uninvited guests, please allow me to introduce myself to you two lovely ladies. My name is Constance, a member of the Ever-Flame Mansion."
An air of elegance and intellectual poise was displayed flawlessly in Constance's demeanor—if one were to ignore the murderous, eerie blue flames currently surging toward Sylvia and Mei.
The blue firelight seemed to carry a bizarre power.
It felt more like a flame that targeted the mind; the physical body perceived no warmth, yet the spirit felt an unbearable, scorching heat.
This subtle mental assault made Sylvia feel as though she were facing a Memokeeper. The aura Constance gave off was strikingly similar to Black Swan's.
The moment she realized this, the Truth-Seeking Sigil flashed within Sylvia's eyes.
The scorching blue flames receded, leaving nothing but dissipating embers before her eyes.
Sylvia took the opportunity to size Constance up a bit more.
Her white coat appeared to be tightly cinched by a belt, tracing the contours of her slender waist. Yet beneath the wide collar, there was no sign of a proper shirt. Intricate black patterns crawled directly across her pale skin, proudly on display.
The hem of the coat, courtesy of a high slit and a relatively short front, casually revealed her long, shapely legs and the thigh rings pressing into her skin.
It was an elegant outfit, yet in many subtle details, it ruthlessly exuded an alluring charm.
"Hehe~ What a burning gaze."
Constance raised a hand to caress her own cheek, smiling at Sylvia.
The demonic tail behind her swayed elegantly, drifting across her body in an attempt to further draw Sylvia's attention.
Bonk. A scabbard tapped lightly against Sylvia's forehead, forcing her to pull her unbridled gaze back.
In that exact instant, Mei's voice rang out alongside the whistling sound of her scabbard slicing through the air:
"So the Ever-Flame Mansion actually has such troublesome characters."
Her flat tone instantly reverted her persona back to that of the calm, detached Self-Annihilator.
Power belonging to IX translated into a blade strike, cleaving toward Constance through the scabbard itself.
However, the woman standing ahead merely twisted and dissolved like sea foam, rematerializing right at Sylvia's flank.
Mei's eyes failed to track Constance's movement, but the expanding Nihilistic energy helped her detect the presence to her side.
As for Sylvia, her continuously active Truth-Seeking Sigil completely foiled Constance's attempts to hide her form.
By the time Mei's second strike descended, Sylvia's gaze was already locked onto Constance.
"Oh?"
Constance's memory-manipulating powers had failed to work.
Whether it was concealing her form or altering their memories, neither had succeeded as intended.
The blue-haired woman was like a walking black hole; any power attempting to invade her body mysteriously vanished. Even the scabbard she swung carried a heart-stopping force.
As for the white-haired woman, she was like an iron wall of mental fortitude; the attack wasn't blocked, but Constance simply couldn't influence her mind at all.
The anomalous state of these two women forced Constance to halt her offensive and attempt to pull back and create some distance.
Sylvia didn't make a move.
She had realized that the woman in front of her operated on the exact same playbook as Black Swan. Under normal circumstances, her own sword wouldn't be able to touch her anyway.
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T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL