Chapter 164

22. Stinging

Even when facing a terrifying being like Angel, Efnir will still prevail.

Anilas.

While the power of Angel is indeed terrifying, Efnir in her Apostle Form undoubtedly possesses power far exceeding that.

The Apostle Power is a product of the intertwining of Corruption Energy and the Order Force. To mobilize the Apostle Power, Corruption Energy and the Order Force are indispensable.

Within the city, the concentration of Corruption Energy was kept low due to the suppression of the Boundary Stele System. It wasn't until the three enormous whale-shaped Erosion Entity perished that a massive amount of Corruption Energy was generated from within them, filling the space and allowing Sakurai Sachi to summon the Apostle Power and descend.

In the region Beyond the Boundary, this vast expanse of white fog is filled with a complex interplay of Corruption Energy and Order Force energies.

All of this transformed into the power in Efnir's hands.

But...

Can Efnir really bring herself to do it?

Anilas couldn't tell.

Was it anxiety or anger?

Efnir could no longer tell them apart.

The face beneath the half-mask of the Crimson Angel is undoubtedly that of Flying Swallow, Efnir's predecessor.

All the remaining, even the smallest, fervent wishes vanished after the identity of the Crimson Angel was confirmed.

In a series of anomalies and disasters that occurred a month ago, the Maesakagawa Garrison District fell, Garrison District agents were killed, and all the residents perished. Immediately afterwards, the headquarters of the Orderkeepers Organization was attacked, and three of the agents—led by Qinglan —who were the backbone of Xijing City, were killed and two went missing.

The two who went missing— Qinglan and Flying Swallow became Angel.

Qinglan and Flying Swallow, they shouldn't have ended up as "Angel".

But...

Should we make a move?

If instead of aiming for their bodies and limbs, you crushed their heads... even Angel would die, wouldn't they?

Should we target them?

Yukina and Canary are still waiting for reinforcements, and they don't have time to dawdle.

... Am I going to abandon Qinglan and Flying Swallow again?

The cold rain soaked Efnir's hair and lips as she silently gazed at the Crimson Angel slowly raised his hand towards her.

Her fingertips dug tightly into her palm.

Efnir hadn't faced such a choice in a very, very long time.

A long-lost feeling of suffocation.

It was as if an invisible hand was tightly gripping her neck.

One year ago, on that day, when he raised his gun to his predecessor who had been reduced to Dregs, where exactly was his gaze directed?

The next moment, the crimson beam of light engulfed Efnir.

But then, a pure white light suddenly erupted, colliding violently with the crimson light, and they clashed and overwhelmed each other.

The powerful wind pressure tore through the rain curtain. Amidst the raging storm, Efnir was unharmed. With a wave of her hand, she was already close to Flying Swallow and delivered a powerful punch.

A dim light flashed, piercing through the clouds and mist simultaneously, and Flying Swallow's blood-red figure was instantly smashed into the ground.

Countless Fracture burst open on the dilapidated roads of the Old Era.

But in the blink of an eye, Flying Swallow reappeared in Efnir's sight.

"--ah!!"

A childish, furious roar echoed through the rain, followed closely by Efnir's attack.

Despite suffering several fatal wounds all over their bodies, Qinglan and Flying Swallow continued their attack on Efnir without showing any signs of pain or fatigue.

If a human had suffered such severe injuries, they would have been unable to move, even if they didn't die. But the Angel remained unaffected, stiffly twisting its body and joints, moving in a bizarre, puppet-like manner.

The eerie scene sent chills down Anilas, even though she had experienced several battles Beyond the Boundary.

Anilas concern as Efnir repeatedly suppressed the Angel with her shrieks.

She continued her pinpoint attacks.

But suddenly, an explosion came from behind the white mist in the distance, the ear-piercing roar echoing through the sky.

"The troops are firing?"

Anilas tried to assess the situation, but the next moment, she suddenly noticed that the Angel in the sky had strangely stopped their attack and then retreated simultaneously.

What... what happened? Why suddenly...

What happened to the troops? Why did the Angel's modus operandi suddenly change?

"Stop them!"

Efnir's voice cut off Anilas's hesitation. She gritted her teeth, raised her gun, and fired a shot at the Crimson Angel.

Her response was a blinding beam of red light.

The Angel began to retreat.

Efnir made a judgment immediately.

The Angel suddenly stopped attacking and flew backwards in the opposite direction from where the troops were, just like what happened during the battle with Qinglan that day.

We can't just let them leave like this.

Efnir didn't come here to kill anyone.

"Qinglan! Flying Swallow!!!"

Efnir gritted her teeth and transformed into a pure white shooting star as she chased after the Angel.

But the next moment, a streak of light pierced through the white mist, striking towards Efnir like a swiftly soaring eagle.

"Careful!!"

Anilas shouted loudly.

Efnir reacted first, narrowly dodging the incoming beam of light. A deafening explosion reverberated through the air as she raised her hand towards the direction from which the beam had come, hurling her white-flaming spear, trailing a fiery tail, into the white mist.

At the same time, Anilas leveled the muzzle of her gun with lightning speed and pulled the trigger into the hazy white fog.

--Besides the Angel, other enemies are lying in ambush.

And it wasn't just one person.

Efnir had already noticed the enemy lurking behind the misty white fog; the movement of the "dust" had been a constant warning to her. Therefore, Efnir had already prepared a counterattack when the attack was launched. This attack did not cause Efnir any substantial damage, but the powerful force of the attack that swept in at that moment startled Efnir.

It is not the Angel, but the power of Apostle.

Efnir made a judgment immediately.

With a cold snort, Efnir threw her white-flaming spear at Qinglan and Flying Swallow, while simultaneously turning and thrusting it into the white mist.

Breaking through the rain curtain and following the flow of "dust," Efnir easily found her target.

It was a young girl.

Judging from her combat attire and the faintly surging ball of light in her hand, there is no doubt that she is Apostle.

In other words, she is the enemy.

Efnir instantly recognized the girl's identity.

Upon seeing Efnir's appearance, she momentarily showed helplessness and panic, but the next second her eyes were immediately filled with even greater ruthlessness, and she suddenly hurled the ball of light in her hand at Efnir.

Is that "hatred"?

Efnir tasted a familiar gaze in her eyes.

With a wave of her hand, the ball of light was pierced, and Efnir charged towards the young woman with lightning speed, raising her hand and thrusting out.

With a single punch, the wind pressure surged like ocean waves. Before the girl could react, she could only barely raise her arms to block. In the next instant, the ground caved in and cracked open, and the shockwave crushed countless pieces of soil and rocks. The rain curtain looked as if a huge hole had been punched through it.

The storm subsided.

The girl lay on the ground, barely alive, coughing softly, with large patches of blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.

Efnir stretched out her five fingers, raised her hand, and a spear of white flames gradually materialized and appeared, pointing at the girl.

"Surrender, or die."

The girl tilted her head weakly and did not answer.

The girl was no longer fully conscious.

The drizzle arrived a little late, then poured down again.

Efnir pursed her lips, clenched her fist, then slowly released it, raindrops dripping from her temples and seeping into the soil.

The white flame spear dissipated inch by inch into the air.

Efnir ultimately did not make the move.

She knelt down and reached out her hand to the girl's blood-stained face.

She planned to completely render the girl unconscious and forcibly remove her armor.

But the instant Efnir's fingertips touched the girl's fingers, a blinding purple flash of lightning disappeared in an instant, and a stinging pain shot straight up from Efnir's fingertips, all the way to the depths of her brain, piercing out from her right eye.

The sudden, sharp pain caused Efnir to groan, lose her balance, and fall to her knees.

Amidst the cratered ground, starlight suddenly rose from the girl's body, and to Efnir's astonishment, the girl's Battle Armament was simply disarmed.

Efnir frowned and raised her palm.

Dust settled in my palm.

23. Pursuit

The "dust" in my palm was like floating sand under the waves, drifting and surging, rising like bubbles and sinking like swimming fish, before gradually fading away and disappearing into the rain.

Efnir frowned deeply, staring at her empty palm.

Raindrops slid down my cheeks.

A strange, lingering pain, like an electric shock, seemed to still be present in my arm and deep within my eyes.

What was that just now?

His gaze shifted uncertainly; the girl on the ground had already disarmed herself, and there wasn't a Trace of "dust" moving on her body anymore, indicating that she had fallen into a coma.

Efnir paused, not having time to think it through, clenched her fist, and then let it fall.

She reached out again, and this time, without sensing anything amiss, she successfully removed the ring from the girl's finger.

Like the two Apostle Beacon that Efnir had seen, this was also a simple silver ring, faintly Resonance with the power within Efnir's body, as if it wanted to claim Efnir's surging Corruption Energy and Order Force for itself.

Efnir could tell from this familiar feeling that the ring was also a "Sacred Relic," Apostle Beacon.

But it seems to be different from the one used by Efnir.

This subtle difference was so faint that Efnir couldn't immediately discern it accurately.

"Miss Efnir! Are you alright!?"

Anilas's voice came from behind.

She gripped her weapon tightly, keeping watch for the white mist behind her as she ran towards Efnir.