At the edge of some nameless desolate battlefield in Kazdel.
The night was heavy, and the air was thick with the pungent stench of gunpowder and blood.
A small campfire flickered, barely driving away the surrounding cold and darkness.
"Hedley... are you sure you want her to take W's place?"
A cool female voice rang out. It belonged to Ines, the little lamb disguised as a demon.
The man called Hedley tossed a few pieces of broken wood into the fire and looked up into the distance.
A white-haired Sarkaz girl was rummaging through a pile of corpses, cursing as she searched for supplies.
Even though the chances of finding anything in a place that had been picked clean time and again were slim.
"She got W's weapon and inherited W's name."
Hedley's voice was flat, as though he had never known the W he was speaking of.
"Besides, her Originium Arts are useful, aren't they?"
"She's dangerous..."
Ines frowned as she looked at that emotionally unstable successor.
As though sensing her gaze, the white-haired girl suddenly turned her head and rudely gave them the middle finger.
Hedley looked at the scattered mercenary companions around him, their faces tired and numb, then let out a low sigh.
"What mercenary isn't dangerous..."
His gaze swept across the war-ravaged land before finally settling on the dancing flames, as though he were asking Ines and himself alike:
"When all's said and done... all mercenaries are desperadoes struggling to survive on this land."
"Even desperadoes are better company than lunatics."
"..."
Ines sighed as she watched Hedley fall silent.
"Fine... you're the leader."
Her gaze swept over their surroundings as Ines raised a question.
"Is it really alright to rest here? A battle just happened here."
"It's fine."
Hedley looked over the corpses around them. Even in death, their faces remained twisted in ferocious expressions.
"The battle is over. The victors took what they wanted, and this place no longer has any value that would make them return. Besides..."
Hedley pulled out his canteen and took a sip.
"This place was picked clean long ago. Other than unlucky bastards like us who got caught up in it, who else would..."
"[Sarkaz profanity!]"
A terrified curse exploded from nearby, instantly drawing everyone's attention toward its source.
Hedley initially thought it was that newcomer who had inherited W's name going crazy for no reason again, but...
"[Sarkaz profanity!] xN"
Everyone followed the sound and stared, then curses erupted in unison—
Among the pile of corpses they had checked earlier and confirmed contained no survivors, a figure had somehow appeared.
One hand held a massive staff, while the black longsword in the other rested against W's neck.
An enemy!? But why hadn't Ines noticed?!
Alarm bells blared in Hedley's mind. He knew Ines's perception better than anyone—how could she let a living person silently get this close?!
With no time to think further, Hedley grabbed the weapon beside him and sprang to his feet.
The mercenaries around him reacted instantly as well, picking up their weapons and staring tensely at the unexpected intruder.
Go over and rescue her, or assess the situation?
Sorry...
Hedley tightened his grip on his weapon. He wasn't foolish enough to rashly attack someone who could evade Ines's perception.
Whether the other party was friend or foe was unknown, as was the depth of her strength. Any careless move could bring disaster.
Hedley rapidly considered his options... if conflict broke out, how could he lead his men away?
His body stiffened as Hedley raised his head.
A pair of faintly glowing eyes in the darkness was staring straight at him.
Elsewhere, Vera had just finished teleporting. Before she could even open her eyes, the disappearance of the sensation in her hand made her sigh.
The teleportation failed... so the plan to speedrun Kazdel with the boss was a no-go.
First, check the surroundings...
But her thoughts were interrupted by a curse right beside her.
Alarm bells blared in Vera's mind.
Someone was here! And extremely close!
Before her vision had even recovered, she swung the Void Sword without hesitation.
"Whoosh—!"
The blade transmitted the smooth sensation of cutting through warm butter, as though it had struck something.
At the same time, her vision instantly cleared—
She saw a young face inches away from her: short white hair, golden eyes, and... two red antennae on her head?
The blade was about to slash her neck. Vera's heart jolted, and she hurriedly tried to pull back.
The sharp blade stopped just short of W's neck, leaving a bloody cut across the surface.
[The teleportation failed. How are things on your end, Number Two?]
Gregor's voice rang out in her mind. Vera had just been about to answer when another chorus of curses burst out nearby.
She stiffly turned her head and caught sight of a group of burly men by the campfire, glaring at her like hungry tigers.
Her eyes met the scrutinizing gazes of the red-haired brute at the lead, Hedley, and the gloomy woman beside him, Ines.
[Number Two?!] Gregor realized something was wrong and hurriedly asked.
Vera had just been about to respond when a beeping sound from in front of her made her pupils contract sharply.
She abruptly looked down—
On the exposed tubes across the chest of the girl whose neck she had pinned with her sword, several red lights were flashing wildly!
[Fuck!]
"—The World!!!"
Without a moment's hesitation, she immediately activated the Hex Staff and released the time-stop field.
A strange purple curtain of light instantly expanded from her as its center, enveloping everything around her, including Hedley and his group in the distance.
Time had only five seconds left!
Vera moved quickly, immediately summoning that poor little demon servant.
Without giving it any time to react, she directly "pressed" it against the tip of the Hex Staff—
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Five rapid, precise point-blank attacks struck in succession, triggering critical hits like crazy.
By the time the energy for a new time-stop field had accumulated, four seconds of the first time-stop field had already passed!
The second time-stop activated.
Without time to catch her breath, Vera repeated the process and slammed the little demon against the staff another five times.
A new time-stop field instantly formed and spread out.
And the previous time-stop still had its final two seconds remaining!
Every second counted!
Vera raised her sword and brought it down, the Void Sword precisely slicing through the dangerous mass of tubes on W's chest.
Her left hand shot out and grabbed them, then she threw them with all her strength high into the empty sky.
The moment she finished all this, time began to flow again.
"Boom—!!!"
The explosive tossed into the air detonated beneath the night sky. The shockwave carried fragments scattering in all directions, but thankfully, it was at a safe height.
Before the stunned expression on W's face could fully change, she felt a sharp pain in her jaw.
As Vera threw the explosive, she had already swung the Void Sword backhandedly and viciously struck W beneath the jaw with its hilt.
W let out a brief cry of pain, and the taste of rust instantly filled her mouth.
The surrounding Sarkaz mercenaries instinctively raised their weapons to attack, but...
"Nobody move!!!"
Hedley's roar came even faster, cold sweat sliding down his forehead.
He... had not seen what happened in that instant at all!
From his perspective, he had only exchanged a glance with the suddenly appearing Sarkaz woman.
The next instant, the explosive on W's chest had inexplicably appeared in the sky and detonated.
There were no signs of Originium Arts being activated, not even an obvious movement trajectory...
The bizarre scene nearly stopped Hedley's heart. He held back the companions beside him who wanted to rush forward, not daring to make any rash move.
This woman... was extremely dangerous!
Every Sarkaz mercenary remained in an attacking stance, forcibly frozen in place by Hedley's roar.
After briefly recovering from her dizziness, W did not look at Vera first. Instead, she looked at the weapon in her hand, which the Void Sword had cut in half.
"[Sarkaz profanity!] Do you know how much this thing was worth!?"
She licked her split lip, her voice carrying that distinctive manic edge.
"Fucking bad luck! I just got this weapon and hadn't even warmed it up yet... mmph!"
Vera shoved the blade into W's mouth, cutting off her clamor, while her eyes remained locked firmly on Hedley.
[Number Two: Damn it! I got surrounded the moment I landed! A whole bunch of huge guys!]
[Boss: Are you alright?! Are you hurt?!]
[Number Three: !!! Get back here now!]
[Number Four: Number Two, are you seriously this lucky? Fine, it's time to test the results of your special training!]
[Number Two: Stop talking crap! I nearly got blown up just now!]
[Number Four: Huh? Even with time stop, that can happen?]
[Number Two: That cockroach woman planted an instant bomb right in my face! Are all Sarkaz lunatics!? She was willing to die along with me!]
The more Vera thought about it, the angrier she became. She lowered her head and glared at W, who was still trying to kill her with her eyes, then time stop unfolded once more.
She skillfully summoned the little demon and repeated the earlier operation, then delivered a heavy blow to the back of W's head.
Time resumed flowing.
In Hedley, Ines, and the others' eyes, the mysterious woman merely twitched strangely for an instant.
W collapsed unconscious without warning, the entire process showing no sign beforehand.
Some mercenaries raised their weapons, while others slowly backed away, positioning themselves in front of the group protectively.
Hedley's expression grew even uglier.
The other party had subdued W again right before his eyes, yet he still had not seen how. The gap in strength filled him with despair.
[Number Four: Cockroach woman... explosions... Number Two, send a picture!]
[Number Two: Image (Cockroach Sleeping Peacefully). You know her?]
[Number Four: Oh my god! Lady Wis'adel!]
[Number Four: Ptooey, ptooey! She should be called W now. This really is Kazdel, and the people opposite you should be Hedley's mercenary group.]
[Number Two: Are they strong? Can I beat them?]
[Number Four: Absolutely, bro! Listen to me, I'll help you show off... ahem! I'll carry you to victory!]
[Number Two: Were you just about to say...]
[Number Four: It's starting! Repeat after me!]
"..."
"Looks like this really is Kazdel."
Vera's calm voice sounded, as though nothing had happened just moments ago.
"So, are you people from Babel Tower, or... lapdogs of the Military Commission?"
Hearing the other party's icy words, Hedley immediately broke out in a cold sweat.
The other party clearly held the Military Commission in contempt. Logically, he should claim to be from Babel Tower to preserve his life, but...
He subconsciously glanced at W, who was "sleeping" peacefully on the ground. The other party's methods were too bizarre; he did not dare gamble lightly.
His gaze drifted toward Ines beside him—perhaps those eyes of hers, capable of peering into shadows, could see something.
Ines stared intently at Vera's shadow. Yet that shadow was wrapped in an ominous deathly stillness... she could not see through it at all.
Just as she tried to probe deeper—
"You're the one watching me, aren't you, little lamb..."
Ines and Hedley: "!!!"
Ines abruptly stumbled back a step, while Hedley instinctively tightened his grip on his weapon, every muscle taut.
Yet before they could sort through their thoughts, the other party's voice suddenly dropped.
"Don't move..."
Hedley instinctively wanted to step back and open up some distance. His foot had only just shifted—
[Time-stop sound effect]
"!!!"
Hedley's mind raced wildly. He clearly remembered taking two steps back!
He should already have completed the movement, but when he rolled his eyes downward to look...
I clearly moved! Why was I still standing in the same place?!
What kind of Originium Arts was this?!
Could it be a spoken curse? Was she a banshee?!
Ines noticed something was wrong with Hedley and was just about to turn and ask.
Warm breath brushed against her ear.
"I told you not to move..."
Ines's pupils contracted, and her dagger instinctively slid to her side.
However...
[Time-stop sound effect]
Ines: "!!!"
The same experience, the same terror. Ines and Hedley exchanged a glance, neither daring to make another rash move.
"That's more like it..."
Vera ignored their terrified stares and placed both hands on their shoulders.
Her voice remained calm, yet it carried an irresistible pressure:
"My patience is limited. Think carefully before you answer..."
Hedley did not dare look behind him and forced himself to speak through the pressure.
"May I ask... what would you like to know?"
Vera released them. When she appeared again, she was already back beside W.
"Two questions..."
"How do I get to Babel Tower? And..."
"Where is the Doctor?"
Before you continue