Elysia was lost in thought.
The flames still raged.
Thick smoke blotted out the sky and any birds that might have flown.
Hope seemed fleeting.
Yet it couldn't stop people from yearning.
"Why... how could this be..."
Elysia stood atop a broken wall, her long pink hair dancing in the scorching wind.
In the distance, a figure with red hair flaunted the power of her authority.
Flames erupted from thin air.
Elysia looked down at her own hand.
There was nothing there—just the ordinary texture of human skin.
...Was she the only one who was special?
Though uncertain, Elysia felt she already knew the answer.
A bitter cold began to rise around her, a piercing chill suddenly surging from all directions.
Elysia saw a figure descend from the sky, likely having jumped from an aircraft.
White hair, black combat gear.
It was Kevin!
A wall of ice shot up from the ground, blocking the onslaught of fire. The battle between Kevin and the Herrscher erupted instantly...
...
Meanwhile, inside the shattered opera house, Hua found the first aid kit. Eden helped Carole treat her wounds before going to comfort the other survivors.
Hua sat on a broken section of wall nearby, watching the distant smoke obscure the sky.
Vya crawled up beside her, tilting her head to observe. "Sister Hua, what's wrong?"
"I... I don't know."
Hua opened her palms. These fists that could easily shatter concrete now felt utterly powerless.
"You should talk about it if something's bothering you. Otherwise, it'll feel awful."
Vya said with a smile, her expression pure and innocent.
Hua forced a weak smile. "I'm fine. It's just... some things are hard to accept."
Yeah, just like before, she still didn't want to accept it.
She knew she had always been this way.
Fragile...
Even if her exterior remained strong.
Hua looked at Vya, whose eyes shone with curious light.
What kind of eyes were those? So clear, as if nothing could ever taint them.
In this hellish scene, such purity felt incredibly precious.
It offered Hua a small measure of comfort.
"Vya... aren't you afraid? With all this happening?"
"Not afraid! As long as my big sisters are here, Vya won't be afraid!"
"Vya will even protect you all!"
Vya stood up and patted Hua's shoulder with her small hand.
Though Vya didn't know exactly what to say, the faint light shimmering around Hua told her that Hua was deeply shaken, heartbroken, and sad.
So she should say something kind.
"Big sister, it's going to be okay."
Vya said earnestly.
"Yeah, it's okay..."
Hua gazed into the distance again. If only all of this were just a dream... But the dual burdens on her body and mind left no room for doubt.
This was no dream.
...
Elsewhere, the battle was nearing its end.
Kevin was growing more adept at wielding his power.
Ice sealed off every possible escape for the Herrscher.
Kevin was unleashing his strength without reserve. Even as flames sprang from nowhere, they were instantly sheathed in ice.
One could even glimpse, briefly, the sight of fire burning within the frost.
But... Kevin hesitated.
Even though he knew he absolutely shouldn't. This was a comrade who had once fought side by side with him...
Then, he hesitated no more.
"Let's end this..."
Ice spikes, as if alive, surged from the walls.
It was about to end... wasn't it?
"Brother Kevin..."
What was this? Kevin froze.
That was Vya's voice...
Kevin suddenly remembered what Mei had told him not long ago.
"You are the same kind now."
...
Without reason.
The ice spikes did not end the Herrscher's life as Kevin had intended.
They abruptly changed trajectory, twisting and intertwining with each other, finally coalescing into a massive crystal of ice that sealed the Herrscher completely within.
The flames hung motionless inside the ice, like amber frozen in time.
Kevin stepped forward, gazing at the figure encased in the crystal.
For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
Elysia ran in just then.
Seeing the scene, she clearly froze as well.
"Kevin!"
Elysia rushed to his side, looking at the figure in the ice. "This is..."
"It's safe for now."
Kevin said tersely, his voice colder than ever.
...
Naturally, upon learning of this, Mobius was quite pleased.
Because... a living Herrscher clearly held far greater research potential.
...
Eden gently rocked Vya in her arms, humming a soft lullaby.
She only stopped singing once she was sure the little girl was fully asleep.
…
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