Sea of flowers

The crushing force of the explosion swept outward from the Tacet Field, surging unstoppably across the entire Flaming Sea.

Far beyond the Flaming Sea, Woodrow and the others were hurled backward by the blast wave.

Even the Terminal communications crackled with static.

"Ling An!!!"

The Flaming Sea, the Tacet Field.

A piercing crack rang out, like a mirror shattering.

The instant the Explosive Lance struck, the Glacio Rider's Flamebloom shield shattered.

It broke into a skyful of Flamebloom pollen that enveloped the entire Flaming Sea.

It was as romantic as the ending of a story.

Then came a deathly silence.

After a long while, an arm reached out of the pollen.

Ling An slowly climbed out of the pollen that had buried him. That single movement seemed to take years.

His skin split open inch by inch, faint purple flames flickering within the cracks.

Jiting's ultimate weapon had exploded at such close range that even he could not escape it.

He looked across the field. Amid the drifting pollen, the Glacio Rider could no longer gallop.

It lay on the ground, clinging to its last breath.

Atop the ruins of a skyscraper nearby, the Flameblooms' Core Resonance Mark was finally laid bare, radiating heavy pulses.

"I'm... still alive," Ling An murmured.

"He's still alive! He didn't die!!!" Mimika cried excitedly.

"The last step. Can you still manage it?" Woodrow asked solemnly.

"Let's do it." Ling An held himself upright and walked toward the Glacio Rider, one step at a time.

He stood before the Glacio Rider and reached out his arm.

A shrill whistle came from the sky. The final Explosive Lance had been launched and was hurtling in from beyond the Flaming Sea.

Ling An lowered his arm, pressed his hand against the Glacio Rider, and murmured:

"Serve me!"

In an instant, the Glacio Rider turned to flame and burned away. Countless grains of Flamebloom pollen gathered toward Ling An like a dream.

Power...

Ling An felt immense power gathering.

Its destination was inside his body.

At that moment, it felt as though some shackle had broken.

A staircase appeared before him like an illusion.

Ling An lifted his foot and stepped up one stair.

The Flaming Sea trembled, countless Flameblooms quivering and resonating together.

As power poured into Ling An's body, the cracks in his skin closed and vanished in the blink of an eye.

Purple flames suddenly swept over his entire body, and from within them, a fierce vermilion-gold blaze sprang forth.

Like dye, it stained every purple flame in an instant.

Driven by that power, the wings behind him unfurled beyond his control.

Vermilion-gold fire streamed over his feathers.

At the same time, every Flamebloom turned toward Ling An.

As though paying homage to a new king!

In that instant, the pressure of the Tacet Discord class spread in all directions.

Having devoured the Glacio Rider, he had finally crossed the threshold into the Tacet Discord class.

The satisfying fullness of power filled Ling An's entire body. At that moment, the final Explosive Lance arrived with a whistle.

Ling An leaped into the air, dazzling as a newly risen sun, his entire body possessed of a sculptural beauty.

He caught the Explosive Lance and turned to look back.

Amid the dreamlike Flamebloom pollen, Night Wardens stood or sat, smiling as they waved at him.

Ling An gave an easy smile and soared higher.

Only when he was directly above the Core Resonance Mark did he cast his resolute gaze downward.

This was where countless Night Wardens had met their end.

But it was also the beginning for him and the Flaming Sea!

The Explosive Lance fell, plunging straight into the Core Resonance Mark.

Brilliant light erupted, destroying the Core Resonance Mark completely.

The explosion's aftershocks swept across the entire Flaming Sea. Wherever they passed, the Flameblooms quietly changed.

Vivid peach-pink flowers spread out like a painted scroll.

With the Core Resonance Mark destroyed, the Flameblooms vanished as well.

In their place was a brand-new sea of flowers in the Flaming Sea.

This was no longer a barren land.

Beneath the vast sky, Ling An raced freely across the land.

"We did it!!!" Joyful cheers came through the communications.

Ling An looked into the distance. In the sea of flowers, only the retreating backs of the Night Wardens remained.

They waved behind them, calling to their friends.

"Off we go! Hahaha!"

"What a beautiful sea of flowers."

Only when the final Night Warden smiled and turned away did Ling An suddenly realize something.

His face looked as though it had been cast from the same mold as Jingming's.

Watching their figures disappear among the flowers, Ling An smiled in understanding.

His previous form dissolved into motes of golden light, and he landed lightly on the ground.

He brought his nose close to a flower and took a gentle sniff.

This time, it was pure enough.

Outside the sea of flowers, Woodrow, Mimika, and the others waited quietly.

Everyone stared unwaveringly at the flowers, afraid they might miss something.

"He's back!" Mimika shouted, springing straight up from the ground.

They rushed excitedly into the sea of flowers together and surrounded Ling An.

"Well done, Ling An!" Woodrow gave him a thumbs-up.

"Patroller Ling An, you were amazing! Just watching from outside nearly set my soul on fire!" Without another thought, Mimika scooped him up.

Cheering, the group tossed him into the air again and again.

"Holy shit, that was fucking awesome! Shame I couldn't see a damn thing!"

That slightly crude voice belonged to the leader of the Exiles-no, he was now a trainee employee at the Eastern Foothills Research Station.

"It's so beautiful here," Yuni murmured through her tears.

Not long ago, she had nearly lost her life here.

Ling An basked in their joy.

It really was a good feeling.

He recalled a saying. Perhaps nothing could describe this moment better-

They will welcome you as heroes.

Looks like my efforts weren't wasted.

After being hoisted into the air over and over, Ling An was finally set down.

Her face full of curiosity, Mimika asked everyone, "Did you see that strange golden figure in the sky above the Flaming Sea just now? It looked like a god!"

Ling An's heart tightened. Wasn't she talking about me?

"It was a little blurry, I think. Too far away." Yuni shook her head.

"Who knows?" Professor Woodrow smiled and looked at Ling An.

Ling An pressed his lips together almost imperceptibly. "Yeah, who knows?"

With their work here done, the Eastern Foothills Research Station still had plenty to prepare. Ling An and Mimika said goodbye to Woodrow, Yuni, and the others, then headed back toward Jinzhou.

Mimika was exuberant the entire way, still caught up in her excitement.

She kept saying that wherever she went on deliveries from now on, she would share the story of Ling An's exploits.

She was practically turning into a bard, every bit the adoring fangirl.

In the face of Mimika's excitement, Ling An remained perfectly calm.

Something more important lay before him now.

After devouring and absorbing the Glacio Rider, he had successfully advanced to the Tacet Discord class.

His original purple flames had not disappeared completely. Rather, he had gained control of the new vermilion-gold flame, a power different from annihilation.

Moreover, perhaps because Tacet Discords devoured one another, his appearance had taken on a trace of the Glacio Rider's form, and he had learned an entirely new ability.

At that thought, he said to Mimika, "Do you... want to try riding a motorcycle?"