The Silver-Edged Priest brandished his staff, chanting under his breath as dark purple energy arrows shot toward Ellen and Sayu, forcing them to dodge repeatedly and preventing them from breaking through with all their strength.
"This won't work... there are too many enemies. Ellen and Miss Sayu will be worn down!" Tineva whispered anxiously, her grip on Little Slime tightening unconsciously.
Luna Belle took a deep breath and called out urgently from the depths of her mind. "Fairy! Fairy! Think of something! Is there anything that can break this deadlock?"
"Performing emergency plan analysis based on current combat conditions..." Fairy's voice immediately echoed in Luna Belle's mind, her speaking rate slightly faster than usual. "Analysis complete. The available options are as follows."
"Option One: Activate emergency power to temporarily load the 'Rope Master Basic Combat Module: Modified' for the Master. Success rate: 87.3%. However, given the Master's current physical condition, the estimated duration is three minutes, followed by side effects such as severe muscle soreness and physical exhaustion."
"Option Two: Consume reserve energy to activate the environmental interference device, creating a small-scale flash and sonic boom to disrupt enemy perception. Success rate: 92.1%. The effect lasts approximately fifteen seconds, creating a brief window of opportunity for Miss Ellen and Miss Sayu."
"Option Three... Use the 'encrypted master tapes' in stock to perform a Signal Tuning and attempt to summon a new Agent."
"Encrypted master tapes?" Luna Belle was stunned, almost thinking she had misheard. "When did we have encrypted master tapes in stock? Didn't we use the only one to summon Ellen?"
"Based on the Master's behavioral patterns of 'out of sight, out of mind' and 'red dots must be cleared'..." Fairy began. "The system has automatically hidden some task completion reward notification red dots for you. The ten encrypted master tapes in stock are hidden rewards for completing 'Newly Arrived' and 'First Commissioned Investigation,' which were issued to the system space yesterday."
Luna Belle was momentarily speechless, unsure whether to criticize Fairy's considerate 'humanized' design or to marvel at how her OCD had actually come in handy here. Now was not the time to dwell on this! She quickly pulled her attention back to reality.
Option One was an immediate pass; with her small frame, she'd likely just get in Ellen's way. Option Two sounded okay, but fifteen seconds was too short and the uncertainty was too high. Thus, the only choice seemed to be... "Signal Tuning! Use the encrypted master tapes for Signal Tuning!"
Luna Belle shouted in her mind without hesitation. Although she didn't know who she would pull, an extra pair of hands meant a better chance of winning! If she pulled Section Leader Miyabi or Master, wouldn't they just breeze through this?
"Command confirmed. Commencing Signal Tuning..."
Following Fairy's voice, the clunky CRT television and the second-hand VCR didn't materialize physically; instead, an illusory interface seemed to overlay the edge of Luna Belle's vision. The familiar gacha animation flickered rapidly in her consciousness. Stacked TV screens lit up, and an encrypted master tape began to spin at high speed.
In the fray below, Ellen used her shears to swat away a lunging Demonic Wolf along with the black-robed figure behind it. Out of the corner of her red eyes, she saw Luna Belle behind the highland bushes with her eyes tightly shut and brows furrowed, and she thought something had happened to her.
"Belle?"
Just as she was distracted, a dark purple energy arrow shot toward the opening at her side with a tricky trajectory! Ellen's pupils constricted. Just as she was about to raise her shears to block the arrow, a silver figure suddenly flashed before her like a ghost.
Clang!
The short blade in Sayu's hand accurately deflected the energy arrow. The massive impact forced her back half a step, but her violet eyes remained calm as she barked, "Miss Ellen... don't get distracted!"
Ellen's gaze sharpened. Her Thiren tail swept out, forcing back two black-robed figures trying to take advantage of the opening. She said deeply, "Thanks."
Watching the two girls who refused to fall, the Silver-Edged Priest grew increasingly impatient and furious. The ritual had already been severely disrupted; he couldn't afford to delay any longer!
"A bunch of useless trash!" He roared hoarsely, glaring at the two in front of him. "In the name of my god, I call upon your sleeping bodies to awaken and crush these ants!"
The ground around the altar churned violently. Seven or eight Skeleton Warriors, still draped in tattered rags with ghostly green soul fires burning in their eyes, clawed through the dirt and scrambled out to join the battle! Though their movements were stiff, their bones were hard and they feared no pain, instantly causing the pressure on Ellen and Sayu to double.
"This is bad..." Sayu parried a bone knife from a skeleton. Feeling the heavy force transmitted through the blade, her brow furrowed. Instead of decreasing, the number of enemies was actually increasing!
At this critical moment when the battle was taking a turn for the worse, the illusory Signal Tuning interface in Luna Belle's consciousness suddenly erupted with a brilliant, dazzling golden light! A massive, magnificent "S" rank symbol occupied her entire mind. Accompanied by the stirring, familiar gold-pull music, a figure materialized elegantly and precisely in front of Luna Belle and Tineva along with the final few exhilarating notes.
"Alice Timefield, in the name of the family, I send you my greetings."
Her voice was clear and pleasant, carrying an innate composure and nobility. Luna Belle's eyes widened as she looked at the young girl who had appeared before her.
She had smooth, dazzling golden hair tied high into symmetrical twin tails. Her hair shimmered with a delicate, honey-like luster in the morning light filtering through the gaps in the forest leaves. The ends of the twin tails were firmly secured by exquisitely shaped rings with a red mechanical texture, revealing both aristocratic refinement and a unique touch of futuristic sci-fi style.
Most striking were the pair of twitching, fluffy bunny ears atop her head, marking her as another Thiren and adding a touch of lively playfulness to the elegant girl's temperament. When her gaze turned toward Luna Belle and Tineva, she was even more unforgettable. She had a pair of extremely beautiful heterochromatic eyes—one was a gentle amber gold, while the other sparkled like a ruby-red crimson.
Her attire was equally impressive. A well-tailored white high-collared uniform top outlined her slender figure, while the black bow tie at her chest and a uniquely styled metal badge silently spoke of her extraordinary family background and status. Around her waist was a uniquely designed belt. In the center of the belt was a small display screen, which currently showed a cute (•̀⌄•́) emoticon, reflecting her current mood upon meeting Luna Belle in real-time. Her short skirt was light and agile, swaying gently with her slight movements. The black stockings covering her legs further emphasized the slender lines of her legs.
"Help me! Miss Alice!" Luna Belle grabbed Alice's wrist, causing the latter's pretty face to flush slightly...