Phrolova, You're Dazzling Right Now, and I Really Like You!

"Imperator?"

Rover looked startled. "The Separation Authority could do that too?"

"It couldn't before, but now I can give it a try."

The answer left him even more puzzled.

Even at her peak, the Sentinel couldn't separate a Threnodian from its Resonator. Now that Imperator could only act in her soul form, could she really do more?

"Watch out, the Faceless Inferno Lord is about to revive again!"

Someone among the Midnight Rangers shouted.

Sure enough, the aura of war around them stirred once more. The War Threnodian refused to give up and was trying to make yet another comeback!

There was no time to think!

"Cartethyia, you have a Philosopher’s Stone, right?"

Rover looked behind him. In the Twin Space, Cartethyia and Abu had also slain a Fractsidus Overseer and naturally claimed the spoils.

"Take it!"

Without the slightest hesitation, she tossed the ruby over.

"Human Transmutation!"

Rover clapped his hands together, and a Truth Array immediately appeared beneath his feet.

All Alchemy relied on arrays to activate, but some genius alchemists could use themselves as an array and activate their abilities directly.

Beyond them were the most exceptional of all: those who had crossed the taboo alone, narrowly survived, and stepped through the Gate of Truth could do the same.

Rover, for example!

Not only had he gained the aptitude of a top-tier alchemist, but he had also obtained a vast amount of knowledge for free through the Philosopher's Stone. Now, nothing stood in the way of him performing Human Transmutation.

"Philosopher’s Stone, create something from nothing!"

In the blink of an eye, the ruby was rapidly consumed, and dazzling light burst forth. Everyone narrowed their eyes and saw the phantom of a winged horse appear behind Rover.

"Imperator!" Cartethyia was the first to recognize her. She had naturally resonated with her, so there was no mistaking her.

"Charioteer, I'm back!"

Before everyone's eyes, the winged horse took human form, becoming a tall, graceful blue-haired woman with an extraordinary, almost holy presence.

Her blue hair cascaded to her waist. Her features were gentle, yet carried the majesty unique to a Sentinel. A plain white gown trailed along the ground, pale golden patterns flowing across its hem like the threads of civilization spreading over her.

She lifted her eyes slightly and looked around, her gaze lingering on each defender's face for a moment, as if committing every one to memory.

Cartethyia stood at the front, looking up at Imperator. Her eyes were a little red, but her lips curled upward. "You're finally back!"

Imperator looked down at her, the corners of her lips curving. "Thank you for your hard work, little Cartethyia."

Phrolova stood at a distance with her arms folded, saying nothing. She merely looked Imperator up and down twice, then turned her head away and muttered, "Another woman!"

Jinhsi had a rather different perspective. Looking at Imperator's perfect figure, she murmured to herself, "I wonder if Jué could compete with her in human form?"

"Next, I'll refine a physical body for you."

Rover was about to continue, only to find that the Philosopher’s Stone had almost run out.

If he forced the transmutation to continue, he would only end up with half an Imperator.

"Charioteer, I'm only a soul right now. I can't use my power."

Imperator was somewhat anxious. She had never imagined that, after her soul had been recreated, they would get stuck at the physical body.

"Don't worry, I have another way!"

With that, he pulled out a black pellet. It was a Gigai from the Research and Development Department, capable of providing a soul with a physical form.

"Hopefully it's compatible. Go!"

The Gigai pellet flew out and merged directly with Imperator without any resistance, giving her a body.

She looked down at her hands, flexed her fingers, and raised her arms, as if getting used to them.

"How does it feel?"

"Remarkable. There's a great deal of technology in this body. It follows a completely different path from the He civilization."

As soon as she finished speaking, the Faceless Inferno Lord's aura surged again. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, it was about to be reborn!

"Still refusing to give up? Let me handle it again!"

Rover gripped Ryūjin Jakka, ready to release it once more.

"Charioteer, please wait. If you use that attack again, heaven and earth will be burned to ashes. Leave the rest to me!"

The next moment, just as Rover had done earlier, Imperator suddenly brought her hands together. A profound array appeared above her head.

"An alchemical array? You can use those too?"

"Of course. I'm a Sentinel who guides civilization. I've always been exceptionally quick to learn, and I spent so long at the Gate of Truth. I'm no longer what I once was. Now, I can be called the Alchemist of Reforging!"

As she finished speaking, a ring of light rose from the array beneath her feet and floated high in the sky.

"Roar!!!"

As if sensing danger, the War Threnodian seemed to burst into flames, gaining an explosive surge of power.

It took human form again. Lightning crashed wildly around it, shattering mountains and splitting rocks, nearly destroying the Norfall Barrens!

"Now, everyone, lend me your strength!"

"Wind and tide, sweep everything away!"

Cartethyia was the first to understand. Taking Fleurdelys's form, she swung her sword at the ring of light.

"Heavenly Constellation Courtlight, Dissipate Evil into Formlessness!"

"Azure Dragon Unsheathed!"

"Hadō #88, Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō!"

As several rays of light merged into the ring, Imperator grew ever more radiant, too dazzling to look at directly. Her own frequency had already overwhelmed the Faceless Inferno Lord's!

"Divine severance!"

The next moment, she plucked the ring from the air, grasped it in her hand, and drew a cross in the void! Brilliant light intersected and erupted outward, slamming straight into the Faceless Inferno Lord!

"Roar!!"

It let out an agonized roar. Immediately afterward, its violent frequency plummeted, as if it had been abruptly cut off!

Its rebirth had failed!

It lost its form once more, becoming a shattered colossus!

"It worked! It's been disconnected from its Resonator!"

"Look, that thing's trying to escape!"

"You won't get away!"

Rover sneered, and a tremendous wave of Reiatsu swept out.

"Bakudō #99, Kin!"

Countless black cords coiled around it at once, binding it tightly and pinning it to the Norfall Barrens.

It was the perfect seal. Time and space congealed together, and unless it possessed absolute power, it would never be able to break free.

Was even the last trace of the War Threnodian's aura gone? Jinzhou had won its final victory!

"Long live!!"

The crowd raised their arms and cheered. The wild joy of surviving the disaster surged like a tide. Some embraced, laughing and crying at once; some knelt and kissed the scorched earth beneath them; others tossed their helmets into the air and shouted tuneless songs until they were hoarse.

Young soldiers rushed to the front lines and bowed deeply to Rover, then ran over to Imperator and stammered out their thanks.

Jiyan stood in the middle of the crowd, his Azure Dragon spear planted against the ground. At last, he set down the burden on his shoulders, looked up at the sky, and let out a long breath.

The veterans of the Breaking Formation Battalion patted one another on the shoulders. "We survived. We made it through another battle!"

Only Phrolova stood alone, her round little face covered in dust like a kitten that had gotten into trouble.

The celebrations around her had nothing to do with her. For a moment, the corners of her lips lifted slightly, but she quickly lowered them again.

"Perhaps I should leave. No one here welcomes me..." she murmured to herself, starting to slip away from the crowd.

Smack!

A hand suddenly caught her wrist.

"Where are you going, my elegant lady?"

Suddenly meeting those golden eyes, Phrolova blushed again, her heart racing uncontrollably.

She suddenly remembered her Fantasy Diary. Worse still, he had already read the whole thing.

Those shameful fantasies, filled with feelings she couldn't bring herself to say aloud, replayed in her mind again and again.

"Let go of me! I'm an escaped prisoner, remember? I need to go back and serve my time!"

"Is that so? But it doesn't look like the people behind you are going to let you leave so easily."

Phrolova whipped around and found many young soldiers gazing at her with admiration.

"Heroine in red, you looked so cool when you were fighting!"

"Thanks to you, or we'd all have been finished. We never could have held out until the magistrate returned!"

"May I become your disciple?"

"Heroine, please tell me your name! I'll enshrine it when I get home!"

"I... I..." At that moment, Phrolova panicked. At a loss, she backed away again and again, only to bump into a solid chest.

"What's this? How did someone who's afraid of nothing suddenly turn into a shy little girl?"

"You're awful!"

Flustered and furious, Phrolova jabbed an elbow at him!

"Does someone like me really deserve these people's love?"

She lowered her head and scuffed her toe against the ground, her slender fingers twisting together anxiously. She didn't even dare look up at Rover's face, afraid of hearing a cold answer.

"All I can say is, no one has the right to forgive you on behalf of the people you've hurt. But the people you protected have no grounds to deny that you stood up for them, either!"

"Phrolova, you're dazzling right now, and I really like you!"