The voice that suddenly rang out from behind gave Robin a terrible fright.
She jolted all over, eyes wide as she whipped her head around, only to see a tall, ice-cold woman.
And just as Robin looked over, the woman glanced down, her gaze sweeping past.
A single glance.
That was all it took to send a chill of horror through Robin, her heart pounding wildly.
That sense of trampling upon life and order, that craving for death and oblivion.
It poured forth almost unrestrained from those eyes.
That terrifying presence overwhelmed Robin in an instant.
She had indeed set foot on many battlefields, witnessed all kinds of suffering and hellscapes.
But that didn't mean Robin, caught completely off guard, could withstand the intimidation of a Lord Ravager.
Seeing Robin's stunned, frightened expression, Phantylia let out a mocking chuckle, then loosened her fingers, allowing the Tarot card she had picked up to fall silently.
It revealed its face to Sylvia.
The image of a dial with markings symbolized the Wheel of Fortune.
Normally a card representing luck, but what a pity…
This card was the Wheel of Fortune in reverse.
Seeing this, Sylvia gave Phantylia a light, derisive laugh:
"Uninvited guests do love to monologue, don't they? But your luck isn't great, I suggest you scurry back to wherever you came from. Better run along now."
As she spoke, Sylvia ignored Phantylia's darkening expression, stood up, and reached out to take Robin's hand.
A turquoise flame flowed from Sylvia's hand, flickering over Robin's body and dispelling the illusion Phantylia had cast.
"...?!"
Robin came to her senses drenched in cold sweat. Realizing what had happened, she shot a wary look at the woman who had suddenly appeared.
Then she stood and moved to Sylvia's side, pressing close against her.
Robin remained silent. She knew she was in trouble, and had been dragged into a mess that clearly had nothing to do with her.
But for now, she could only watch and see how things unfolded.
Phantylia did not stop Robin. In her view, the two people before her couldn't even send out a cry for help, let alone stay alive.
To her, what difference did a mere table make? It was the same as zero distance.
After pulling Robin to her side, Sylvia inwardly let out a small sigh of relief.
Thank goodness Phantylia was just like in the game—treating everyone but herself as garbage.
She couldn't care less about Sylvia's little maneuver.
"The Wheel of Fortune should be a lucky card. A shame that for you, it's reversed—representing misfortune, the whims of fate."
"Oh? Seems you've got quite the nerve. Who gave you the confidence to receive the blessing of Destruction?"
Phantylia dropped the act. Yellow-green flames surged upward, carrying a terrifying heat that seemed to transform instantly into a violent explosion. The room, even the entire starship, was vaporized in a flash.
Robin didn't even have time to scream before she was swallowed by the flames.
However—
"Really think you're some master illusionist?"
Bam—
"When good old friends are going away…"
Accompanied by a melodious song, the flames, the screams, the shattered starship—all of it dissolved before Robin's eyes.
When Robin regained her senses, she found herself already wrapped in a layer of Sylvia's turquoise flames.
The earlier illusions had vanished completely. The room remained intact, only the coffee table and sofa shattered into fragments on the floor.
Meanwhile, Sylvia, also wreathed in flickering flames, now held a great crimson sword. She held it horizontally, blocking the hand of the woman opposite as it reached for Robin's heart.
Before Robin could react, Sylvia's figure seemed to shimmer. The flames transformed into a blinding band of light as her sword swept out, cleaving the woman opposite cleanly in two at the waist.
The music continued to play. Listening to the serene melody while watching this bloody scene before her, a profound sense of absurdity welled up inside Robin.
Robin was just about to ask if the enemy had been dealt with, when Sylvia's arm wrapped around Robin's slender waist, and she exploded backward, putting some distance between them.
Because the woman who had been cut in half on the floor, now wreathed in flame, was swaying back to her feet, letting out a piercing laugh:
"Hahahaha—Sylvia, I am quite satisfied with your speed, your strength, even your looks. Not bad, not bad~ You have the qualifications to become my vessel."
Hearing these words, combined with the utterly bizarre scene before her, Robin felt a shiver run down her spine.
Instinctively, she pressed herself tighter into Sylvia's embrace.
Sylvia, however, merely scoffed at the remark:
"The reversed Wheel of Fortune—unable to resist changes in circumstance, failing at the critical moment of mastering destiny. Phantylia, Phantylia, if I were you, I wouldn't waste time posturing and spouting nonsense here. How long do you think it'll take Jing Yuan to arrive?"
"Jing Yuan?"
Phantylia's voice grew increasingly shrill and piercing, the thick disdain in her tone not even attempting concealment.
"You don't actually think Jing Yuan can get here in time to save you, do you? I'll have you both die without a sound. Besides… the disappearance of Penacony's songbird, Robin, on the Luofu—now that would be an interesting topic, wouldn't it?"
As she spoke, the flames withdrew entirely from the corpse, transforming into several streaks of light that shot straight toward Sylvia!
Sylvia looked as if she were badly startled, hurriedly swinging her great sword toward the wall beside her. But the wall erupted in flame, stubbornly blocking that heavy, powerful slash.
"Hahahaha—! This room is completely sealed by me. No one will notice anything happening inside. Just obediently become my vessel, Sylvia!"
The shrill laughter echoed throughout the room, yet it was all contained by fine tendrils of flame, not a single sound leaking out.
And even as she laughed, the flame plunged headlong into Sylvia's body.
Boom—!
Turquoise and yellow-green flames simultaneously erupted from Sylvia's form.
At the critical moment, Sylvia released Robin, sparing her from being consumed by Phantylia's flames.
"Miss Sylvia?!"
Pushed away, Robin found herself still covered in Sylvia's flames. She called out to Sylvia, whose expression now looked pained.
"I'm fine! Get to cover!"
Sylvia barked the order, her free hand flipping over to reveal a strangely shaped red device.
"Hmm? The power of Permanence? I underestimated you. But how long can your weak will and this pathetic Heliobus hold out?"
The yellow-green flame twisted into a mocking face, jeering at Sylvia unabashedly.
Gritting her teeth against Phantylia's invasion, Sylvia raised her hand and inserted the Hazard Trigger into a slot on the great sword.
"Hazard On!"
"Heh, time to forge yourself a new Path, Phantylia!"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.