Atop the Clock Tower.
Crack—
The crystal goblet shattered in Marcus's palm, exploding into glittering shards.
Crimson wine, mixed with glass fragments, trickled down between his fingers, spreading into a glaring stain on his luxurious formal attire.
Marcus stared fixedly at the street below, bloodshot veins crawling across his eyes.
Down there, what should have been a sea of chaos and fanaticism—a spectacle he had personally orchestrated—was now orderly and efficient to the point of absurdity, all under the baptism of that bizarre pink rain of light!
"Useless! A bunch of useless trash!"
His chest heaved violently, his elegant mask finally cracking to reveal the ferocious rage beneath.
A meticulously planned coup.
Chaos he had personally forged.
All utterly dismantled by an unknown priest using a method he had never even heard of!
The mindless fanatics he had incited were now acting like factory workers on an assembly line—calmly disarming, clasping their hands behind their heads, and lining up...
This was a mockery of logic!
Worse, it was a public execution of his intelligence
What enraged him even more was that the four culprits, instead of fleeing, were charging straight toward the Clock Tower.
This was a provocation!
It was blatant contempt!
"Seize them!"
Marcus's voice was cold and hard, like the grinding of metal forced between clenched teeth.
"Especially the pink-haired priest! I'll make her pay the most painful price for this disgusting pink rain of light!"
"Lord Marcus, leave it to me!"
A venomous and eager voice rang out as Adela volunteered.
Her eyes burned with the flames of vengeance, mingled with a desperate craving for recognition.
The humiliation she had suffered at The Anvil and Wheat Inn had to be washed away with her own hands!
Here, before Marcus, she would prove her worth!
"Very well."
Marcus glanced at her coldly.
"Go."
Permission granted.
A nearly crazed smile bloomed on Adela's face.
She turned and walked toward a nearby metal frame.
Attendants stepped forward to fasten her armor.
The sleek, silver-white mech perfectly contoured her voluptuous figure.
Giant bronze pistons and complex tubing extended from her back, ultimately connecting to the armor at the base of her massive fox tail.
Metal and fur. Cold and warmth.
This contradictory fusion, far from diminishing her beauty, added a strange and deadly allure.
VWOOM—
The thrusters on Adela's back roared to life, spewing scorching steam.
She leaped.
Her silver armor streaked across the sky like a meteor, plummeting down with brutal force!
BOOM—!
A deafening crash echoed as Adela slammed into the stone pavement directly in front of Lin Qingyue's group, the ground spiderwebbing with cracks beneath her feet.
She slowly straightened up.
Behind her, ten heavily armed guards leaped from the buildings on either side, completely sealing off the group's escape route.
Adela's faceplate retracted upward with a click, revealing a pretty face twisted by venomous hatred.
"Lord Marcus has given the order," she said, her voice dripping with vengeful glee as she licked her dry lips, her gaze greedily fixed on Lin Qingyue.
"Ladies, the game is over."
Old enemies meet, eyes blazing with hatred.
A chilling aura radiated from Su Wan, causing a thin layer of white frost to form on the ground.
Xia Lian's fingertips already rested on her bowstring, the body of Dark Night Starwhisper beginning to glow faintly.
Lin Xiyue took a step forward, her giant shield held defensively before her, her beautiful eyes locked onto Adela.
More precisely, they were fixed on the fluffy, alluring fox tail swaying outside Adela's steel armor.
Suddenly, as if struck by an idea, she turned to Su Wan and announced loudly, "Wan-wan! I've changed my mind!"
"Hmm?" Su Wan tilted her head, her eyes questioning.
"Today, we're going to kill this fox spirit and make you a one-of-a-kind scarf from her tail!"
Lin Xiyue's voice was clear and resonant, filled with an unshakeable, domineering confidence.
At her words, even Lin Qingyue couldn't help but glance over.
Has my sister's possessiveness, amplified by [Echo of the Heart's Abyss], evolved to the point of killing enemies to loot their gear and craft fashion for her wife?
And Su Wan—a smile suddenly bloomed on her ice-cold, beautiful face.
It was like the first ray of sunlight piercing the frozen plains after an endless polar night.
Heart-stoppingly beautiful, yet carrying a chill that could freeze the soul.
Her gaze toward Adela transformed completely.
It was no longer the scrutiny of an opponent facing a provocateur.
It was the look of a hunter who had spotted the perfect prey.
The look of a fur merchant who had found the finest material.
Her crimson lips parted, and she replied in a soft, gentle voice, "Perhaps I'll be the one to take it... and give it to you."
"You... you two!"
Adela trembled with rage, infuriated by this "shameless couple" who were openly discussing what to do with her tail as if she weren't even there. The pistons of her armor hissed with fury.
"A scarf? How naive! Still, I admit your skins are quite exquisite."
Her gaze lingered on Lin Xiyue and Su Wan, as if appraising the most perfect additions to her collection.
"After I tear you to pieces, I'll turn you into the most beautiful dolls to display in my bedroom. Especially you," she said, pointing at Su Wan.
"That face, paired with an expression of utter despair... it will be truly beautiful."
Her answer came as Su Wan abruptly raised her staff.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Dozens of hyper-condensed Ice Cone Spells tore through the air, weaving a deathly barrage with no blind spots as they shot toward Adela!
No more words, just direct action.
This was Su Wan's reply.
The battle erupted in an instant!
"You asked for it!"
Adela cursed angrily. Her back thrusters roared to life, transforming her into a silver phantom as she narrowly escaped the ice cones' area of effect.
"Form up! Crush them!"
Ten guards roared, their steam-powered armor flaring to full capacity. Like ten steel bulls, they charged from different directions.
However, they were facing the Quantum Battleship Squad, which had already undergone a dramatic transformation.
Clink! Clink! Clink! Clink—!
Xia Lian's [Star-Concealment Arrows] traced silent trajectories across the chaotic battlefield.
Her arrows sacrificed piercing power for the most cunning angles.
Energy conduits, joint connections, and the gaps in observation windows—all were her targets.
One guard's knee joint was struck by an arrow, causing his charging body to lurch sideways, nearly sending him sprawling face-first into the dirt.
Another guard's power pack was hit, disrupting the steam jets and sending him spinning comically in place.
The tight battle formation had lost two members before it had even covered half the distance.
"Roar!"
A burly guard roared, breaking through the arrow harassment. His massive steam warhammer descended on Lin Xiyue, its swing generating a powerful gust of wind!
Lin Xiyue didn't dodge or evade. Instead, a thrill-seeking smile curved her lips.
The instant the warhammer fell, the [Immovable Mountain] in her hands lit up with a brilliant golden runic circle, and she swung it upward from her lower right to her upper left
[Golden Parry]!
CLANG—!
A piercing clang tore through the battlefield!
The whistling warhammer was perfectly deflected by a skillful force, sent spinning uncontrollably outward.
The immense recoil left the guard momentarily stunned, his chest wide open.
Now's the chance!
A pink afterimage hugged the edge of the shield, silently cutting in!
The [Beloved] in her hands was no longer a healing staff but a life-reaping spear!
The staff's tip struck at a cunning angle, precisely hitting the gap in the guard's chest plate, which had been slightly displaced by the parry!
[Lin-style Spear Techniques: Flow Interruption]!
The instant the staff tip made contact, a spiraling destructive force drilled into the core, shredding the intricate mechanisms within.
Krrk... Hiss—
Amid a grating metallic screech, all the pistons in the guard's steam armor seized and died, spewing a cloud of acrid black smoke.
It was now nothing more than a paralyzed pile of scrap metal.
Lin Qingyue withdrew her spear and spun, the cold glint of its tip already aimed at the next target. She didn't even glance at the fallen tin can.