BOOM!
As Loli A spread her arms, the pool of blood teeming with crimson eyes flowed from her palms, crawling up the walls of the Holy Land's palatial structures. This area housed more than just the World Conference Hall; the top floors and side wings served as the residences of the Celestial Dragons.
"What kind of technique is this!?"
Flurette gasped in shock. Although the structure of the Holy Land hadn't been physically damaged yet, the sight of countless eyeballs covering the walls like a parasitic growth was enough to make his skin crawl.
Should I reinforce Flurette?
Chaton, currently covering the evacuation of the allied representatives, hesitated. He looked at the fleeing monarchs ahead, then cast a glance back at the Holy Land, which was now enveloped in an ominous, hellish aura.
No... the Gorosei are in there, after all. My current duty is to ensure these representatives escape with their lives. If they don't… Chaton gritted his teeth. …the balance of the world will fall into utter chaos.
After a moment of internal struggle, Chaton decided to stick to his escort mission. The summit of the Holy Land was guarded by a massive force of Government and Celestial Dragon elite units. With powerhouses like Kong and the Gorosei themselves present, his presence wouldn't make or break the defense.
Conversely, he was responsible for over 170 representatives. if something happened to them, the nations under the Government's rule would lose their leaders. The consequences were unthinkable.
Inside the palace at the summit, the walls were now saturated with the red-eyed blood pool. Kong, who had just reached the conference hall, along with the Gorosei who were overseeing the evacuation of the Celestial Dragons, all felt a jolt of alarm.
"This is..."
The Gorosei clad in a dōgi (martial arts robes) drew his massive katana. He poked the tip of the blade at the eye-covered wall, only to find the substance behaved like wallpaper; even as he touched it, nothing happened. He applied more force, piercing the wall entirely with the blade, then pulled it out.
The rift in the blood pool began to knit itself back together instantly.
"An unknown technique. But once I deal with the caster, the mystery will solve itself." The robed Elder slid his blade back into its scabbard.
The curly-haired Elder with the cane, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly snapped them open. "Found her. She's at the third exit of the summit. Flurette is holding her off, but he is no match. His life force is fading fast."
"Flurette is being overwhelmed...?" The blond Elder pinched the bridge of his nose. "I order Kong to head there. I shall go as well."
"Negative," the sword-wielding robed Elder interjected, blocking his path with one hand. "Your ability is too destructive. Don't forget the world representatives haven't left yet. Creating too much havoc would be detrimental to the Government's image. I will handle this quickly. We will take her head and broadcast the images to show the world that the Immortal Pirates have been defeated by the Government."
"Anyone who can defeat Flurette possesses at least the strength of an Admiral. Be cautious," the long-bearded Elder reminded him.
"Naturally." The robed Elder walked toward the third exit where Loli A and Flurette were located. He spoke over his shoulder to the other four: "How many years have we spent together? Once I draw my blade, it matters not if the enemy is a dragon or a snake, they shall not escape."
…
"I told you, I just wanted to revisit an old haunt. If you had just pretended not to see me, everything would have been fine, wouldn't it?"
Loli A stood before Flurette, her hands raised by her cheeks, a look of pure delight on her face. Opposite her, Flurette's face was contorted in agony. Half of his face was covered in an unrecognizable red mass. During their clash, Loli A had introduced the Blacklight Virus into the fray.
"I wonder what a Blacklight monster of Admiral-tier strength looks like," Loli A mused expectantly.
She hopped onto the window sill of the second floor of the sanctuary. The once-magnificent palace had been transformed by the blood pool into a citadel of hell.
"Kuh... gah... urgh..."
Guttural sounds escaped Flurette's throat—half pain, half fury—but he couldn't form a single coherent sentence. Suddenly, his body began to undergo a violent metamorphosis. The virus on the left side of his face spread rapidly. His muscles swelled, shredding his ornate uniform. Horns began to sprout from his forehead, and his skin turned a bruised, obsidian black.
"Will he turn into something even more terrifying than Zephyr?" Loli A grinned, watching the transformation.
Vroom—!!
Suddenly, a sphere of air expanded within Flurette's mutating body, resembling a miniature tornado. A flash of silver light followed, slicing his body clean in two. In the next heartbeat, the expanding localized storm tore his remains into a thousand shreds.
Loli A's expression went blank for a second. She turned her head toward the left entrance. The sword-wielding Gorosei had stepped out, his katana held in a mid-swing posture. He had clearly been the one to strike.
"Whoa, whoa. That was your Government's lapdog," Loli A mocked. "To kill him so decisively... isn't that a bit cold?"
The robed Elder replied coldly, "He was beyond saving. Rather than letting him become your puppet, it was better to give him a swift end."
"So many high-sounding words. In truth, you don't care about anyone's life but your own." Loli A jumped down from the window sill, her tone self-deprecating. "Well! I suppose I'm the same way."
The robed Elder showed no emotion, but internally, he was seething. An Admiral-level combatant was a rare asset, even in Mariejois. Losing one was a massive blow that wouldn't be easily replaced. In his mind, he had already sentenced this girl to death.
"Trading blows with the Gorosei sounds fun too."
Loli A raised her right hand. The back of her glove glowed with a red light, revealing the mark of the Immortal Pirates.
"As suspected. You troublesome pests of the Immortal Pirates."
At the thought of how the Government's Sky Branch project had been repeatedly harassed by the Immortal Pirates, the robed Elder's rage flared. "Once you have witnessed my power, do not expect to leave this place alive."
As he spoke, he walked toward Loli A, slowly drawing his blade. Faintly, the silhouette of a Kishin (Fierce God) wreathed in flames appeared behind him, a spectral entity with disproportionately large flaming arms.
"Do you know why the Government has stood for eight hundred years without falling? It is because we have stepped into the realm of the Gods. We are God-Humans."
"Calling yourselves Gods?" Loli A scoffed. "Then tell me... has a God ever truly descended?"
———————
Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over here ——— pa-tre-on.c-om/AlexandrusTL [remove the hyphen for normal access]