Phrolova: I'll protect this world he loves!

Phrolova ignored what everyone else thought and charged straight in.

The blood-red Hecate took the lead, barreling straight into the Tacet Discord tide.

"New Moon, Elegant Posture..."

She waved the Other Shore Flower. In her hand, at that moment, it was the perfect conductor's baton.

Blue notes drifted out and instantly melded into the space around them.

Elegance fused with killing intent, sharpness with grace. Hecate danced, light flickering in her eyes as it spread across the entire battlefield in an instant.

Every Tacet Discord was immobilized. Even the Crownless were no exception; all but the strongest, the Impermanence Heron, were locked in the air.

"So powerful!"

The soldiers of the Breaking Formation Battalion stared in amazement. Such a technique was indeed unbelievably powerful, surpassing even General Jiyan's!

"What are you waiting for?!"

Phrolova turned and snapped at them.

Only then did Jiyan react. Suppressing the onset of overclocking, he charged into the fray alone, giving it his all!

On the way, the Impermanence Heron swung its massive blade, attempting to take him down, but Hecate seized it and slammed it hard into the ground!

Though both were Calamity Class, the Impermanence Heron was probably at the very top of fourth-class Reiatsu, while Phrolova was above average even among those with third-class Reiatsu. There was a clear gap between them!

Taking advantage of that brief opening, Jiyan went on a killing spree. His Azure Dragon swept through the enemy with unstoppable force, slaying two Crownless in succession and using its remaining momentum to severely wound two more!

"Here's our chance! Kill!!"

Hope returned to the Resonators. Their morale soared as they charged forward and cut through the enemy like vegetables. In moments, they pushed the battle line back and cleared the battlefield!

"We owe it all to her this time! Long live the heroine!"

A young soldier raised his arm and shouted, looking at Phrolova with eyes full of admiration and gratitude.

Phrolova trembled slightly at his words, her lips lifting. It was an extraordinarily subtle change: the corners of her mouth rose just a little before she forced them down again. Yet something clearly flickered to life for an instant in those green eyes.

She turned her head away, her hair covering half her face, but the tips of her ears reddened despite herself.

In her hundreds of years of life, she had been called a witch, a fiend, a lunatic, and an executioner, but never a "heroine." The word made her ears burn. It was a strange feeling!

"Shut up! Do you know who she is? She's a fiend from the Fractsidus! Who knows if she has some scheme in mind for coming here?!"

An angry shout tore through the brief moment of warmth.

"I remember her! When the Faceless Inferno Lord caused that upheaval last time, she was an accomplice, and she even triggered a Tacet Discord tide! My father died in that battle! Witch, give me back my father..."

"That's right! Someone like her won't repent even on her deathbed. Once Fractsidus, always Fractsidus. She must be plotting something!"

Even Jiyan tightened his grip on his spear, watching Phrolova warily.

It was not that he was overly cautious. It was simply too hard for him to believe that a terrorist had suddenly become a good person.

Hearing their accusations, Phrolova tightened her grip on the Other Shore Flower and lowered her eyes.

Their words pierced her like needles, one after another, striking places she had thought long since numb.

She hung her head, her lips pressed into a thin line and her nails digging into her palm. She wanted so badly to say that she knew she had been wrong, that she was atoning, that she remembered every one of the 3,726 lives.

But when the words reached her throat, she swallowed them back down. What would saying them accomplish? Who would believe her?

"Instead of standing here cursing me, you'd be better off pulling yourselves together and preparing for the crisis ahead!"

She offered no explanation. Her expression instantly became unreadable, and she withdrew her gaze from the soldiers of the Breaking Formation Battalion, turning it back toward the battlefield ahead.

"Patter..."

The sound of rain reached them, soft but murky, and everyone's expression changed.

It was no ordinary rain. It was Reversal Rain, the rain of calamity, the war Threnodian's most infamous tactic!

Countless droplets flew chaotically between heaven and earth, some flying sideways, others sweeping backward. Countless wars were reflected within them.

Scenes of slaughter played over and over, blood staining heaven and earth and turning the place into a hell of carnage.

The slain Tacet Discords came back to life, and the fallen soldiers were corrupted as well, each turning into a new Tacet Discord that charged at them like a beast!

"No... don't!"

Some of the survivors broke down. A moment ago, they had been comrades who shared life and death; now they were enemies locked in a fight to the death!

Worse still, the colossus formed by the Faceless Inferno Lord had grown even larger. It was drawing power from the war.

Jiyan panted, his face pale.

At this point, numbers meant nothing. The more people there were, the stronger the enemy became!

"All soldiers of the Breaking Formation Battalion, heed my order! Withdraw from the range of the Reversal Rain!"

"General, what about you?"

"I... I'll stay here and hold the line until the very last moment!"

"You get out too!"

Phrolova's voice came from overhead, full of cold detachment.

"Me too?"

"You're powerless. Stop getting in the way and get lost..."

As her words fell, Hecate, locked in a standoff with the Impermanence Heron, swung her whip and sent Jiyan flying out of the Reversal Rain's range!

"Awoo..."

The Impermanence Heron shrieked, her power surging as she broke free of Hecate's suppression.

At that moment, Phrolova stood bathed in the rain, facing the Tacet Discord tide alone!

Small and forlorn!

"Hmph. Controlling Tacet Discords, is that all? If you can do it, so can I!"

Facing forward with her back to everyone, she charged once more!

"Full Moon, Bloody Dance!"

Her baton swept through the air again. This time, blood-red notes drifted out. At the same time, Hecate's frequency surged once more, again surpassing the Impermanence Heron!

Countless thin threads flew from Hecate's fingertips and bound countless Tacet Discords. With one hand holding down the Impermanence Heron's blood scythe, she became a master puppeteer, controlling the Tacet Discords and making them slaughter one another!

"Amazing! She really can hold off the Faceless Inferno Lord by herself!"

"What good is that, no matter how strong she is? She's still an executioner. Her crimes are unforgivable. She'd better die together with that damned Threnodian!"

"At least... at least she just saved us!"

"So what? Does that wipe away all her past sins?!"

"Silence!"

Jiyan barked in a low voice. His troops were strictly disciplined, and every voice fell silent at once.

"Boom!!"

With a tremendous crash, the thing they had feared most happened.

The distant colossus moved! The Faceless Inferno Lord seemed to have grown tired of this exchange of attacks and defenses and entered the battlefield itself!

"Buzz!"

With an ear-piercing hum, the blood moon on the colossus's chest unleashed a deadly beam of light that shot straight through Phrolova's chest!

"Aah!!"

That sudden, absolute power wiped away every advantage she had held!

Phrolova fell from the sky and slammed into the ground. Her frequency was running dry, leaving her weakened!

"I can't retreat... This time, I'll protect..."

She struggled to her feet, the image of that golden-eyed figure reflected in her mind.

"I'll protect this world he loves!"

Light blazed in her palm.

At that moment, the Book of the End revealed its edge, transforming into a longsword!