"Awaken, defender of glory."
"Awaken, master of frost."
Like guardian spirits, the Self-Propelled Phantoms followed Durandal and Rita into battle, giving the two of them the presence of a five- or six-person team.
A flash of lightning streaked by, and the Herrscher of Thunder, who had caught up from behind, descended before them.
Durandal raised Abyss Flower towards the Herrscher of Thunder, her brows furrowed.
"Herrscher... friend or foe? Choose."
"Tsk, tsk, tsk... I'm so scared~
"The Herrscher of Thunder smiled sweetly, tapping a finger on Abyss Flower. She continued to tap it as she walked, slowly passing by Durandal's side to head to the next level.
"I'll spare you this time. If you ever raise a weapon to me again, I won't hold back."
After the Herrscher of Thunder vanished from their sight, Durandal lowered her weapon.
"It seems she's not an enemy. Another Herrscher fighting for humanity? Rita, let's go."
"Of course, Lady Durandal."
Rita quickly wiped away the sweat that had formed from the tension of the Herrscher of Thunder's sudden appearance, then followed Durandal to the next level.
"Rita is a bit curious. Why weren't you more surprised by the appearance of that new Herrscher, Lady Durandal?"
"I was surprised, but when I saw her face, something inside me resisted the idea of attacking her... My intuition told me she wasn't an enemy."
"Lady Durandal! Relying solely on intuition is too reckless! You mustn't do that again!"
"Alright. That was likely the Third Herrscher, Raiden Mei. Ryn showed me her file. Although I don't know why she reverted to being a Herrscher, with Ryn and Welt as precedents, it's not so strange that she isn't an enemy."
With the Herrscher of Thunder joining them, Durandal's team advanced through the Tenshukaku at an ever-increasing pace. As the Herrscher of Thunder's lightning blasted open the doors to the final floor, the group came face-to-face with the Herrscher of Corruption, who had been waiting for them.
On a cushion in the center of the room, a massive armored warrior formed from resentment knelt, each hand holding a tachi that radiated a sinister aura.
This was the overwhelming resentment of the Herrscher of Corruption—Jizo Mitama.
"You dare try to seize my territory? Prepare to be reduced to atoms, you trash!"
The Herrscher of Thunder was the first to charge, wielding lightning as her sword and striking directly at Jizo Mitama.
"Hazy Blade: Takemikazuchi!"
Facing the blow, Jizo Mitama parried the Herrscher of Thunder's attack with the sword in its left hand, redirecting the force to its side. It immediately followed up with a horizontal slash from its right sword.
The Herrscher of Thunder instantly ducked and backflipped to evade the slash. Using the momentum from the flip, she decisively executed a "Swallow Reversal," transforming the downward slash into an upward strike from below.
The Swallow Reversal, renowned for its speed and unpredictability, caught Jizo Mitama off guard, and its left arm was severed by the blow.
"Is that all..."
The Herrscher of Thunder gripped her sword with both hands and thrust it straight at Jizo Mitama, preparing to press her advantage and finish it off.
Clang—
Jizo Mitama's left arm regenerated in an instant, and it crossed both its swords to block the Herrscher of Thunder's thrust.
Her attack thwarted, the Herrscher of Thunder used "Peerless Shadow: Tsukuyomi" to swiftly dodge backward, creating distance from Jizo Mitama.
"Such regeneration... Once I turn you into atoms, let's see how you regenerate then," the Herrscher of Thunder sneered contemptuously.
As she was about to charge again, she glanced at Durandal and Rita and taunted them:
"Are you here to watch the show? Attack together!"
Durandal and Rita nodded and joined the battle.
After a brief exchange, they all discovered that the damage dealt by the Herrscher of Thunder and Rita had little effect on Jizo Mitama, while Durandal's attacks were consistently highly effective.
After exchanging glances, the three decided that Durandal would be the main attacker, while the Herrscher of Thunder and Rita would provide support and create openings.
(Don't ask. The reason is that Jizo Mitama is a BIO-type with high elemental resistance. *smirks*)
——————————————
Not only had Durandal's team reached the Herrscher of Corruption, but Ryn's team had also successfully broken through to the final floor and met the Herrscher of Corruption.
However, compared to the mindless, resentment-formed Jizo Mitama of the prime world, what awaited Ryn and the others in this data space was a slightly more intelligent, talking Higokumaru.
Looking at the giant pink fox, Yae Sakura's hand, gripping her sword's hilt, trembled slightly.
"You... why did you still choose..."
Higokumaru roared, cutting Yae Sakura off, her face contorted with ferocity as she stared at her.
"There is no why... Yae Sakura, we never had a choice."
"What do you mean, no choice? You already chose to become Hiyokumaru. Was Hiyokumaru's existence a lie?" Ryn yelled at Higokumaru.
"That's right... Hiyokumaru's existence wasn't a lie, but is my existence a lie then? Just as I once said, once you pick up the sword, you can only put it down in death."
Higokumaru's eyes glowed red, and flames erupted around her body. After briefly gathering power, she charged at Ryn and the others.
"Flame Chariot!"
Everyone scattered, leaping away to dodge Higokumaru's attack. Four massive chains shot out from behind Oath of Judah, attempting to restrain Higokumaru and then activate its binding authority to weaken her.
But the chains passed right through Higokumaru's body. Her figure then dissipated like an illusion, reappearing in the distance.
"The Oath of Judah, hah... Do you think I'm still the same being you could so easily manipulate? I have obtained new power and have become complete!"
Higokumaru roared at the sky, summoning Cursed Stones out of thin air, which rained down on the group like flaming meteorites.
Ryn flicked his palm upward, halting all the Cursed Stones in mid-air. Then, he opened his palm and clenched his fist abruptly. All the Cursed Stones in the sky exploded into countless specks of dust.
"If you like playing with meteor showers so much, how about I send you an even bigger one. Meteor Burst."
Ryn pointed downward, and the dust from the Cursed Stones in the sky accelerated toward the ground, forming a brilliant meteor shower of powder. Sonic booms and flames from the self-igniting dust constantly erupted within it.
Due to her massive size, Higokumaru couldn't evade it. She could only resort to high-speed vibrations to create afterimages, dodging Ryn's Meteor Burst.
Her evasive maneuvers allowed Fu Hua and Bronya to see through the illusion.
"Higokumaru's form is illusory! All the attacks just passed through her body! But she made sure all the attacks avoided one specific part of her body, just like in Imperishable Night. That spot is her hitbox, her true body!"
Bronya shouted her conclusion while continuously simulating and analyzing the Herrscher of Corruption's evasive patterns.
"Bronya is right. That thing isn't the true Herrscher of Corruption! Her existence is more like a projection! Attack that spot, and we can defeat Higokumaru," Fu Hua also shared her findings with everyone.
Fu Hua and Bronya then nodded to each other and simultaneously pointed to a specific part of Higokumaru's body.