It was only natural that the Pope would urgently return to the capital upon learning that the knight had arrived.
After all, they had gone to great lengths to descend, using the corpse of a Higher Being as fuel.
If no one was even there to receive them, what was the point of going to all that trouble? Returning quickly to receive the knight was the sensible thing to do.
As for why they hadn't returned immediately, Fu Qian could guess that too—it was best to completely consume the Other Shore first.
After he left, the Witch would probably abandon her earlier approach of maintaining balance and instead drive that string of bones to devour the invisible "well" as quickly as possible.
It might not provide much nourishment, but at least it would minimize the impact of the Other Shore's annihilation.
"The size is right, too."
Yet in the precious time she'd secured with such immense power, the Witch had no qualms about continuing to critique the knight's look.
"But if you let me choose, I'd still make a few improvements."
After all that praise, she didn't even wait for Fu Qian to humbly respond before offering her suggestions.
She stepped forward, then took the head "armor" from Fu Qian's hands. As far as its design went, it was truly impeccable.
Clink—
As she casually turned it over in her hands, the Witch didn't seem to be trying to give it a more practical design. She simply tapped it lightly with a finger, drawing out a faint ring.
With that gesture, a ripple appeared out of nowhere, like frost and moonlight at once, spreading from her fingertip.
In the blink of an eye, the entire piece of equipment was suffused with the dusky blue of the Dark Moon, taking on