76. Defeat.

The Demon Fox noticed that the nun had weakened, but even so, it did not intend to underestimate her.

It had already been defeated by that Saintess once, and now it faced this nun with a similar appearance.

This girl's name is Theresa Apocalypse.

Hiyori will not lose again.

Judah unfolded to the side, and dozens of spears of light shot out, only to be shattered by the flames in the blink of an eye. The original Theresa might have been able to tear through the pillar of fire with just the Spear of Light, but now she was completely unable to continue.

This was something she had anticipated.

The soul steel then sculpted into golden, solid chains, which connected to the twin pistols in the nun's hands as she leaped out.

The malleability of Soul Steel allowed Theresa to wield the chains with her spear at the narrow top of the cross.

The nuns are dancing.

This scene resembles a ribbon dance originating from Northern Europe, and the chains in the nun's hands are ribbons.

The ribbon spun, dividing the flames and the intense heat, but the flames continued to spread and surge forward.

The nun's dance continued; her swaying skirt and youthful curves cast long shadows in the firelight.

This beautiful posture at this moment resembles a Miko performing a Kagura Dance to worship the gods, yet the girl offering this dance is filled with the determination to kill the gods.

The more beautiful her dance, the stronger her inner killing intent and determination.

Finally, the chains that served as ribbons were consumed by the remaining high temperature, and the eruption of the pillar of fire came to an end.

The nuns' dance came to a close.

But as the only spectator on stage, Hiyori's return gift for this dance immediately followed.

Magatama.

In ancient Japan, the Magatama symbolized authority, as it was originally something possessed by the gods.

At that moment, the gods cast this symbol of power and authority.

A fiery meteorite shaped Magatama.

The meteorite was so large that the nun's petite frame was less than a tenth of it.

This is to be expected, as this Magatama is formed by combining several meteorites that were previously suspended together, and its size is so large that even its creator, Hiyori, could not ignore it.

Such a domineering and forceful attack left Theresa no room for tactical tricks or clever maneuvers.

With her power constantly dwindling, dealing with the pillars of fire alone was exhausting enough for her, let alone facing this Magatama.

The immense light and heat traveled from afar, scorching the eyes and the skin.

With its domineering and imposing presence, the magnificent Magatama falls like the inevitable cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death in life.

It was so absolute, without any surprises.

Time is an eternal and invincible enemy for most humankind.

This meteorite is an obstacle that Theresa absolutely cannot overcome.

The girl's physical strength was completely exhausted. At this point, her strength had returned to the state she was in when she first arrived in the Stigmata Space. The familiar yet unfamiliar weakness was trying to shake her resolve.

Her snow-white skin and beautiful face gradually withered under the scorching heat. That dance was like the last bloom of the girl's life, followed by her fading away.

The rise and fall of an era is a natural law.

The girl looked at the crimson that filled her entire field of vision and smiled helplessly.

She understood that she was no match for Hiyori.

She simply couldn't afford to lose.

Therefore, the struggle cannot be stopped.

Theresa stepped down from the cross, leaning against Judah, feeling the slow, burning pain of her skin in the light, and murmured to herself:

"Please indulge me one more time, Judah."

"Perhaps, this is the end."

The girl poured all the Honkai Energy she could control into the cross at once, and with the transformation of the Divine Key, all the Soul Steel within Judah also receded and returned.

As the Magatama fell, golden light burst forth.

The condensation of Soul Steel and Honkai Energy formed a cocoon of light the size of a person, completely enveloping the girl.

With a tremendous roar, the Magatama and the cocoon of light shattered simultaneously.

In that instant, countless streams of fire and feathers of light illuminated the night sky, and the earth shattered.

All that met Hiyori's eyes was desolation.

The shrine was built on the mountaintop, but now all the steps leading from the mountainside to the shrine have been destroyed, and a wide and extremely deep ravine has covered its original appearance.

Flames are its fangs, and endless streams of fire transform into a new path leading to the shrine in the night.

Destruction, this is destruction.

The Demon Fox watched the light feathers and [Ashes] drifting in the air, its heart filled with a slightly satisfied urge to destroy.

The nun is dead.

It won.

A blissful, almost manic satisfaction tickled its nerve endings, making it nearly burst into laughter.

Humans are so fragile; their weak bodies cannot withstand blazing flames and freezing cold, nor can they defend against sharp blades and spears. Even a few malicious words can easily destroy a person.

Humans who dare to harbor thoughts of killing gods and act on them will inevitably face their doom.

There will never be another human who can defeat himself like that Saintess.

Kallen Kaslana is a unique and unexpected surprise.

But Theresa Apocalypse is not.

So no matter how hard she tried, or even if she successfully killed herself once, she would only be a corpse now.

Yes, corpses.

However, Hiyori did not find the nun's remains.

Did she turn to [Ashes]? Perhaps the [Ashes] drifting in the sky were part of the nun's body. Given the destructive power of that meteorite, it's quite normal that the nun wouldn't have left any remains.

It would be strange if the remaining strength could have left behind a corpse.

The Demon Fox controlled 80% of the Stigmata Space, but the shrine area was still under Yae Sakura's control, so it failed to discover the nun buried under the flowing fire immediately.

Theresa did not die.

But her condition was not much different from death; the Judas's Oath shattered in that instant, and it was those fragments that burned out the last bit of strength, barely saving the nun's life.

The result was that Theresa lost her last trump card that gave her a chance to fight back— Judah.

The nun's bones were mostly shattered, her clothes were torn to shreds, and her once fair skin was covered with half-burnt scalds and slowly seeping blood.

Her beautiful face was also destroyed by burns and the ripped, blurry flesh.

How ugly! If Theresa could see herself like this now, she would probably laugh at herself like that.

But even without looking, she could understand just how pathetic she looked. Ironically, it was heartbreaking that she couldn't even bring herself to utter a self-deprecating remark.

They lack the strength to speak, perhaps because their respiratory tract or throat has been burned and damaged. All that remains in their consciousness are fragments of babbling in their sleep and incomprehensible visions.

Now, all the girl can do is drag this dying body along and pray for a miracle.

And just as the end of life arrives, when thought gradually disappears and ceases.

A beam of light descended.