"Wow!"
The baby inside Megose cried and struggled, wanting to be born and help its mother out of her predicament.
Those thin, black, cold, and slippery lines seemed startled, or as if gripped by an invisible force, and retreated backward.
"Wow!"
Dunn and Klein both experienced significant dizziness, their throats tightened on their own, their tracheas were compressed, and their breathing became difficult.
Crimson blood dripped from the tips of their noses, the corners of their eyes, and the sides of their ears, as if all the capillaries had burst open.
If Klein hadn't been subjected to the test of delirium and screams before entering the Gray Fog, and if Dunn hadn't been holding Saint Selena's ashes, they would have surely fainted, just like Leonard Mitchell.
Megose's headless body turned to face Klein, the charred pieces of skin and flesh falling off, and the holy yet eerie white bone knife clearly reflected in his eyes.
Klein, who had just shaken off the influence thanks to his rich experience, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. He forgot the pain in his Blink chest and seemed to see the other party rushing towards him in a flash, not giving him a chance to chant incantations, infuse Spirituality, and throw out the " Solar Flare Charm ".
Just as he was about to roll away to dodge, Klein saw Megose suddenly stop, saw Dunn Smith's black trench coat flutter behind him, and saw the captain diagonally in front of him lower his head, with thick, writhing strips protruding from his back, as if venomous snakes, tentacles, or Monster were lurking beneath!
Dunn is using his " Nightmare " ability to forcibly interfere with Megose.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Megose struggled, and all the thick, strip-like things protruding from Dunn's body exploded at the same time!
Large amounts of bright red blood splattered out, raining down on every corner around them.
Despite his pale face, Dunn was not discouraged by the result, because the blood had been absorbed by the fine black threads created from Saint Selena's ashes!
Absorbed!
The countless cold, slippery, tentacle-like threads suddenly became violent, turning from retreat to advance, surging upwards and tightly binding Megose, binding her high, protruding, and writhing abdomen.
Chance!
Klein was both nervous and excited, and the Ancient Hermes word for "light" was already forming in his throat.
Wow! Wow! Wow!
The baby's cries rang out again, more continuous and more urgent than before!
The countless, almost invisible black threads suddenly stopped, as if struck by lightning, trembling and retracting.
As Dunn watched this scene unfold, he realized that Megose was about to break free. His expression shifted, and almost without hesitation, he withdrew his right hand, spread his fingers, and plunged them into his own chest with a soft "plop"—his left chest!
His right hand was quickly pulled out, stained with blood, his five fingers tightly gripping a heart that carried the feeling of night's tranquility and the ever-changing nature of dreams, a heart that was still contracting and expanding!
Captain... Klein watched helplessly as Dunn Smith placed the heart he was holding in his right hand into Saint Selena's urn, his vision blurring rapidly.
Woo! Woo! Woo!
Like the weeping of Nightmare in the dead of night, countless thin black lines tightened again with an unusually cold and silent feel, firmly and tightly binding Megose!
Even as another baby's cry emanated from Megose's womb, they did not budge, even locking the terrible sound within their own envelopes!
Klein's tears mingled with blood as they slid down his cheeks, and he uttered a low Ancient Hermes:
"Light!"
A light that illuminates the darkness! A light that brings warmth!
His remaining Spirituality was almost entirely poured into the thin gold sheet engraved with mysterious patterns, leaving his mind both empty and dizzy.
With his last ounce of strength, Klein threw out the " Solar Flare Charm " towards Megose, who was bound by countless black threads.
This time, the black lines did not retreat in advance, nor did they follow their instincts; it was as if they were being directed by some will.
Thump! Thump!
Inside Saint Selena's urn, Dunn's bright red heart was still beating.
Sunlight once again pierced through the large hole in the ceiling, penetrating the entire third floor and shining into the Blackthorn Security Company, almost solidifying into a tangible pillar.
Drawn by the " Solar Flare Charm," it reflected back towards Megose.
The two merged above the headless Monster, bursting forth like a the Sun!
Boom!
In the blazing white light, Klein closed his eyes, the final image etched into his mind:
Megose lost her left arm, her head, and her charred body, devoid of much flesh and blood, instantly disintegrated. Inside, a terrifying, half-illusory, half-real thing, no longer having a basis in reality, could not complete the final step of transformation. Resentfully and angrily, it turned into black mist and dissolved into light and flames.
Rumble!
The entire house was shaking violently, but this was merely a slight aftershock of the " Solar Flare Charm " spreading out.
Unlike a normal bomb, its power is concentrated and focused!
Klein managed to steady himself and opened his eyes a few seconds later, looking ahead.
He saw walls collapsing, and he saw a charred ring where Megose stood, and the floor was only half melted.
He saw a bloodstained, curled-up umbilical cord with burn marks lying there; he saw Dunn Smith, still standing in the same spot in his black trench coat; he saw the heart inside Saint Selena's urn still beating slowly; he saw Leonard Mitchell lying opposite him, his fate unknown.
Exhausted, Klein felt a surge of joy, sensing that he might still be able to use Ritualistic Magic to save his captain. He felt that Megose and the baby in her womb had truly been dealt with—no, the latter was more like being interrupted or expelled.
At that moment, Dunn Smith turned his head to look at Klein, a gentle and relaxed smile on his pale face, his voice as mellow as ever:
"We saved Tingen."
After saying that, he seemed to have returned to his twentieth year, no longer so composed or serious, and winked his left eye at Klein.
Klein's expression froze as he watched the heart inside Saint Selena's urn stop beating, turning into brilliant specks of light that dissipated in all directions. He saw the captain's body lean back, his hands releasing their grip.
It all unfolds like a series of pictures, yet it's impossible to stop it.
Thump!
Saint Selena's urn fell to the ground, just like Klein's heart.
Glug! Glug! Although the urn was not sealed, the deep darkness inside blocked the exit, preventing even a single grain of fine, sparkling light from spilling. The urn tumbled and rolled toward Klein.
Dunn Smith collapsed onto the broken ground, his deep gray eyes devoid of all light, staring directly at the hole through which sunlight streamed in.
Captain! Klein's vision blurred again. He wanted to call out, but the word and the rest of the sentence stuck in his throat:
We'll miss you too...
At that moment, Saint Selena's urn rolled to his feet.
Suddenly, Klein felt a sharp pain in his chest, his pupils constricted, and he froze on the spot.
He lowered his head and stared blankly as a slightly pale hand emerged from his left chest, stained with blood.
Megose isn't dead yet... No, a new enemy... the mastermind behind it all... Am I going to die...?
Klein's thoughts raced, his eyes almost lost focus, and his body slumped to the side.
His breathing gradually stopped, and finally he only felt the hand suddenly pull back, and all he saw was a pair of shiny leather boots and a hand reaching down, a slightly pale hand.
It held Saint Selena's urn.
Everything went dark, and Klein lost all consciousness.
Inside the ruins of the Blackthorn Security Company, there were burn marks and broken things everywhere, but not a sound could be heard; it was like a tomb.
A few minutes later, Leonard Mitchell's body twitched, and his eyes slowly opened.
He struggled to sit up and looked around Dunn Smith lying on the ground and Klein with his eyes wide open in shock. Both of them had obvious wounds on their left chests.
No... Leonard managed to squeeze out a word as he staggered, half-crawled, half-walked to Dunn's side, to Klein's body.
He kept verifying it, constantly going back and forth between the two, but in the end he could only accept the unchangeable result.
Leonard's legs buckled, and he knelt on the spot. His emerald eyes were filled with pain, and tears streamed down his face, washing away the blood and dust.
He listened intently for two seconds, then suddenly half-lyed down, roared, clenched his fist, and slammed it heavily onto the floor.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Leonard kept crying and pounding the floor, his grief tinged with obvious hatred and self-loathing.
The sound of running up the stairs came from behind him. Leonard looked up and saw the " Mandated Punishers " and the " Machinery Hivemind " members who had just arrived through blurry vision.