Chapter 150
Beneath the walls of Athens, a devastating victory shattered Joan of Arc's principles and ruthlessly destroyed everything she had upheld throughout her two lives.
This Pyrrhic victory taught Joan of Arc that what she firmly believed in was insignificant in the face of cruel and cold reality.
Joan of Joan of Arc's heart was shattered, but she still believed that there was a smile in those deep green eyes.
She still believes that the hands that once scooped up flowing water will intertwine with her fingers again.
She still imagined the Pure Water Spirit whispering softly yet firmly in her ear:
Don't be afraid, I'm here for you.
But no, those eyes were indifferent and cold, supremely clear.
Like a cold star in the distant night sky, or the first rays of dawn before sunrise on Zima morning, it sends a chill down your spine.
So when Joan of Arc saw those eyes, she understood.
The Pyrrhic victory at the gates of Athens was a gift from Hebe to her.
Just like being dissatisfied with a carefully built castle on the beach, a gentle push on the top of the tower can destroy all the achievements built up by trust so far.
Joan of Arc wanted to say something, but she couldn't say anything.
"Is that you?" Those eyes, once blue-violet, were now burned to a pale gold.
Without needing to speak, Hebe understood Joan of Joan of Arc's question, and so she happily strolled a few steps along the throne with her hands behind her back.
"Yes."
Now that it's been determined that you're one of Eris's countermeasures, Hebe won't show any mercy.
"If you want to uphold your code, if you want to avenge those soldiers who were forced to sacrifice themselves, then you'd better hurry, Joan of Arc." Hebe tilted her head slightly. "I still need to go to the Golden Palace and ring the Bell of Ys."
She was urging him on.
Therefore, Hebe no longer addressed her as Jeanne, but deliberately used the more distant "Joan of Arc".
Joan of Arc stared into Hebe's eyes, her insides churning and convulsing with pain. But the pain did not come from the soldiers who died tragically beneath the walls of Athens; it came from the latter half of Hebe's casual remark.
She's about to ring the bell.
She's going to ring the Bell of Ys.
Joan of Arc was not heartbroken by the countless sacrifices, but despaired by the recurrence of the same mistakes. What made her even more helpless and horrified was that those she wanted to protect were following in her footsteps.
In the profound silence, Joan of Arc trembled as she raised her arm, revealing a bright red mark on the back of her hand, like the wings of an angel.
Those are stigmata called Command Spells Seals, each of Servant has the power to command a servant to do something.
Command Spells are a product of the Golden Law Great Movement system, and are also shackles specifically designed for Pure Water Spirit.
In the North, Command Spells can still have a powerful effect, let alone here, which is Ys—the capital of the entire Atlantis.
Hebe's expression changed slightly, and she raised an eyebrow. "So it's for this time? That's a good opportunity... So, are you ordering me to commit suicide?"
"By the Command Spells, Ismara, the Pure Water Spirit, is forbidden to ring the Bell of Ys!"
"By Command Spells, Ismara, the Pure Water Spirit, is forbidden to ring the Bell of Ys!!"
"By Command Spells, Ismara, the Pure Water Spirit, is forbidden to ring the Bell of Ys!!!"
Three Command Spells were cast upon Hebe in quick succession, as if a gust of wind had blown into her heart, causing her body to sway involuntarily.
But in the end, it only swayed slightly.
Hebe's heart tightened.
She was ready to break the effects of the Command Spells that had fallen upon her.
As a product of the Golden Law Great Movement System, the Command Spells are also a byproduct of the secret transmission of musicians, and Hebe's second mark, the Tuners, is specifically designed to counter the musician's path.
And after numerous similar experiments, Hebe confirmed that she could indeed break the so-called Command Spells in a short period of time, which is why she was so fearless.
But things are different now. Hebe did not use the second mark.
The Command Spells landed on her, but it did not exert any binding force.
Hebe immediately thought of Mozart, during his battle with the rebels, was stripped of the achievements he had placed in his Grand Symphony, leading to his defeat and capture.
Furthermore, considering the relationship between the Grand Symphony and the Sybil... in other words, it was the Grand Symphony itself that lifted the Command Spells imposed by Joan of Arc?
But why would Sibyl "help" me? I'm going to ring the Bell of Ys to stop it, yet it's helping me?!
Hebe's inner alarm bells are ringing: There's something wrong with the Bell of Ys!
She instantly recalled her Royal Sister's instructions from back in Blanckug, as well as a phrase that had been repeatedly emphasized in many classic texts.
"Beware of the Bell of Ys."
Unless ringing the Bell of Ys would bring some benefit to Eris! Nietzsche, on the other hand, had previously tried to use reaction to provoke himself into ringing the bell...
Hebe's heart was as clear as a mirror.
She knew that Sybil was watching this area.
Hebe smiled coldly, her face revealing no other expression.
She raised one hand. "Do you know about the Opposing Blades? A secret ritual that binds the two together by imitating governance."
"Opposing... a double-edged sword?"
"Yes, that means," Hebe said to Joan of Arc, "That we are the Opposing Blades ... Fortunately, the time is right now. The Opposing Blades are no longer unbreakable."
Hebe silently recited the soldier's name in his heart, then made a half-hearted slash at his chest.
Nothing happened.
The fact that the private was able to respond by name indicates that he has once again gained the upper hand in the war against the wolves.
Perhaps he was too preoccupied to attend to other matters at the moment, or perhaps the power of the Opposing Blades was beyond his ability to counteract, but it didn't matter.
Hebe also has a backup plan.
Throughout history, when one side of Opposing Blades dies, the other side will also perish; this is the binding force of this secret ritual.
But there are always exceptions, and more than people imagine.
The Silent Bookstore records the following account: In the Gaelic region, there were two princesses who became bitter enemies. One burned a purple flame that could summon the dead, while the other ignited a yellow flame that could heal the living. At the end of a long war, the elder sister used the purple flame to power her already dead body, thus departing from her kingdom.
As she left Gale, her other sister gradually forgot that she had such a relative.
This demonstrates that this method can exploit the bug of the Opposing Blades.
Of course, the biggest problem with this method is that the user has to sacrifice himself, while his body still needs to be able to continue moving.
This was not a problem for Hebe.
Her true form is the many waterways surrounding the seven hills, as well as the ocean currents.
The pause of the 227th Grand Symphony, the beginning of the Great Stillness
Hebe never spoke to Joan of Arc about the Opposing Blades, nor did she tell her what kind of entangled fate the Opposing Blades would suffer.
Joan of Arc never told Hebe anything about the Bell of Ys. At least in Joan of Arc's mind, no one but herself should ring the Bell of Ys.
"It seems your Command Spells has failed." Hebe smiled smugly. "Mozart's death caused the Grand Symphony to go out of control, and so did the Command Spells system that was created based on it... You should have used it somewhere further away, not here and now."
This is a lie. The real reason why Joan of Arc's Command Spells failed was due to Sybil's behind-the-scenes manipulation.
Hebe knew, but she didn't say anything.
She stretched out her arms wide and laughed freely in front of Joan of Arc for the first time, just like the villain in every story who has succeeded in his conspiracy.
Hebe twirled lightly around the throne, each step like a drumbeat. "So, you can no longer stop me—"
She stopped again and cast a meaningful gaze at Joan of Arc.
In the far East, there is a word called "severance." It means to cut off all connections.
Now, the only connection between Hebe and Joan of Arc is that of Opposing Blades... What was once Hebe's one-sided insurance has now become a futile chain binding them together.
She could vaguely sense that the "chain" between herself and Joan of Arc was becoming increasingly elusive and intangible... If her judgment was correct, her previous ritual was beginning to take effect.
Even though the private was fighting to the death with the wolves, the limited power he received was enough for Hebe to do something.
Moreover, there's the factor of Sybil.
She watched silently as Joan of Arc charged toward her, pressed to the ground by an invisible weight.
Hebe twitched the corner of her mouth.
Is it that Sybil had become unscrupulous, or that she simply did not realize that doing so would render all of Nietzsche's efforts futile?
Or perhaps it was so emboldened that it simply forced itself to ring the bell?
Joan of Arc knelt on the ground, her vision becoming somewhat blurred again, and she felt as if the seawater was rising in her eye sockets.
She realized that she might never have ever triumphed over so-called fate.
Wanting to rekindle their past relationship, he stirred up the resentment and alienation of the Pure Water Spirit; wanting to save his friend, he caused Boudica to die in battle even earlier than before; wanting to save many people from the ravages of war, he dragged even more people into the war; wanting to let many people live, he caused those people to die in terrible chaos.
The more you want to achieve something, the more you lose it.
How pathetic, how laughable.
She raised her head and let out a desperate, sorrowful, hysterical laugh.
If that's the case, why did you make me do it all over again in the first place? Why give me such unrealistic, false hope? Wouldn't it have been better if I had just died?
She doesn't need to rack her brains to think about the future, nor does she need to exert all her strength to save others. She doesn't need to let others place their expectations on her, nor does she need to be allowed to have any expectations of the world on her own...
What was the point of all this long torment? She gazed pleadingly at Hebe's retreating figure, but did not answer.
Hebe had reached the door and went inside.
[Attention! The primary objective of the current Lostbelt is to ring the Bell of Ys, bringing Great Stillness to all of Atlantis. Open the path to Atlantis, the capital of Ys City, replace the Philosopher King Remus trapped on his throne, and play the final note of the Grand Symphony!]
The current objective has not been achieved.
Secondary Objective 1: Establish the "Undetermined City-State of Agor". After the cataclysm, establish a nation of survivors, with a capital city even beneath the deep sea. The more people who survive, the higher the objective's completion rate. At least 10,000 people are required to complete the objective.
The current objective has not been achieved.
Secondary objective two: assassinate the "Three Grand Harmonizers"... Completed.
[Secondary Objective 3: Establish your own society/organization... Currently established society: "Narcissus Cross Academy"... Completed.]
Secondary objective four: to liberate all the Pure Water Spirit, so that they are no longer bound by their suffering fate.
The current objective has not been achieved.
[Secondary Objective Five: To spread the name of the "hero"... Completed.]
Secondary objectives do not affect the Lostbelt clearing progress, but they will affect the final evaluation.
[Final Objective: Defeat Eris and sever the Lostbelt. There is only one being who holds the power to determine history. Defeate them within this Lostbelt. Completing this objective will automatically complete the Lostbelt conquest.]
The current objective has not been achieved.
[Current Lostbelt Completion Rate: 80% (Crossed), 50% (Erase), 30% (Reject), 10% (Confusing)...1%]
[Current Lostbelt Completion Rate: 1%]
The instant Hebe passed through the oval-shaped portal of light, countless silver waves surged before her eyes, twisting and forming characters that only she could decipher.
The text, depicting a completed objective, gradually dimmed and solidified into a chilling black.
The unfinished goal, the words gradually brightened, and merged into a sea of burning red.
The black and red colors flashed alternately, and finally disappeared from Hebe's sight.
At the very bottom of her field of vision, the Completion Rate of Lostbelt began to change drastically.
Hebe's Completion Rate the Lostbelt comes half from overly radical changes and half from advancing secondary objectives.
The further you stray from the timeline in Joan of Arc's memories, the higher your Completion Rate will be, up to 50%.
When Hebe entered Pavillon, the Completion Rate had reached 80%... But now, the Completion Rate of this Lostbelt is being brutally wiped out, decreasing at an extremely fast speed!
In the end, only 1% remained.
Hebe remained silent until the silver ripples disappeared completely before her eyes.