"Hey! You, the Valkyrie over there?!"
"Fall back, now! Do you have a death wish?! Any closer and you'll be in the gladiatorial arena of those two behemoths!"
An Arc City Guard mecha pilot, currently executing a tactical retreat, noticed the white-haired warrior moving against the flow of the main force.
"Hey! Which Schicksal unit are you from?! It's dangerous up ahead! The Captain and High Command have ordered a full retreat to preserve our forces!"
A Valkyrie accompanying the pilot also spotted the white-haired girl, who stood out starkly from the retreating troops, and tried to persuade her to turn back.
"I appreciate your concern... but as for danger—"
"I think I'm the dangerous one here, hehe—"
The Judgement of Shamash, its Great Sword mode deactivated for easier movement, was slung at the girl's waist. She flashed a smile, giving a slight nod of thanks to the concerned guards. Then, she turned her head to face the battling behemoths.
"Oh...? It's you... Did you come back to see me?"
Having drawn close enough to the battlefield, Imhotep finally seemed to recognize what was fighting the Witch's Night, a pleased expression gracing her face.
"An old friend... In that case—you three dog-chicken-bug stooges, get out of the way—"
-
Loki and his group, currently grappling with the Witch's Night, seemed to hear a long-unheard yet strangely familiar voice. Their massive bodies froze, taking several fireballs from the Witch's Night head-on. However, they didn't have time to worry about the negligible damage these fireballs caused—
The Wolf, Serpent, and Bird—six eyes met, and they instantly reached a conclusion—
Run!
Completely ignoring the offense of being called the "dog-chicken-bug trio" by the girl, the Serpent Spirit and Bird Spirit led the charge, bolting into the distance. They left only the Wolf Spirit Loki still entangled with the Witch's Night. Loki was furious... The translucent, azure wolf god gathered its strength and delivered two brutal, resounding slaps to the Witch's Night, sending it flying. Then, without a moment's hesitation, Loki shrank its form and turned tail, fleeing for its life.
"..."
"Am I really that scary???"
The girl seemed to have no memory whatsoever of how she had tormented those three unlucky old souls in her childhood—
"Whatever. As long as there's something to beat up, that's good enough... Hmm, this position is perfect..."
Imhotep gave the Witch's Night a thumbs-up, as if aiming for something, and nodded. Ignoring the Arc City Guards watching her nervously from the side, ready to intervene, she unfastened the Judgement of Shamash from her waist...
"They are born heroes, titans of action, legends sung through history. They are the last descendants of the Heavenly Emperor from before the dawn of creation. They are the unyielding shield that descends into hellish battlefields for humanity, the sharp sword that purges all threats from the world—"
Standing atop a skyscraper, Gray Serpent spoke like a devout believer, his voice a hymn of praise as he watched the Flame Sword pierce the heavens in the distance...
-
"Raise your heads and behold—witness the culmination woven from the endless faith of countless warriors!"
Imhotep raised the Great Sword with one hand. A sliver of light, a pillar of fire, erupted from the sword's core, illuminating the entire city in the dead of night.
"The Flame Sword that guards Eden... the Shamash that incinerated Sodom—"
"Foolish obstacle before me... your journey ends here..."
The Flame Sword that pierced the heavens was swung down lightly by the girl, tearing the dark night sky asunder and dyeing it crimson. It was a scene reminiscent of Ragnarok from ancient myths, or the final sight witnessed by humanity before the sinful city of Sodom was burned to ashes—
"Here... I pronounce judgment—!!!"
Divine punishment descended, sealing the fate of the judged.
"...Mom, I saw an angel... My life was totally worth it."
The Arc City Guardians and Valkyries, who had wisely retreated to a safe distance, watched Imhotep standing on the ground, her presence radiating unrestrained power. Pure white wings materialized behind her...
The Schicksal Valkyries dumped all the intel onto the desks of their two leaders at headquarters, completely disregarding whether Otto and Theresa had any free time.
"No matter how many times I see it, the fully unleashed form of Shamash is always so breathtaking..."
Miss Captain and her group, watching from the sidelines, weren't as frantic as the Valkyries and Arc City Guards, but they were equally awestruck by the spectacular visual of the Judgement of Shamash.
"So, Captain, are you sure you want to approach this... human nuclear warhead?"
Bronie was already starting to wonder if accepting so much money from Miss Imhotep had been a good idea.
"Approach her? Why not? From your description, Bronie, she seems pretty easy to talk to—just maybe a bit of a chuuni?"
"A chuuni who hasn't been cured in fifty thousand years... That's terrifying..."
Bronie rolled her eyes. Miss Irene, listening to their discussion, simply smiled faintly as she received the report from the Quantum Coward Trio: Dog, Chicken, and Bug.
"You're saying that white-haired girl is the same little girl who used to pinch you for fun and then gave you to me as a gift?"
"That's right... Good thing we ran fast this time, or she would've chopped us up into roast wolf, grilled bird, and stewed serpent..."
"But I remember that child being a little girl with blonde hair and blue eyes...?"
"That's beyond our knowledge, Miss Irene. How would we know? Maybe it was a genetic mutation?"
"Anyway, her voice and that feeling she gives off are unmistakable. Even though she feels like she's missing a lot of things now, we can guarantee it: that's the same little girl Miss Irene took care of a few years ago..."
"Lord Captain, um, I have a question?"
To clear up her final doubts, Miss Witch turned to the Captain beside her.
"Eh? Irene has a question for me? Go ahead and ask! I've seen a thing or two in my time, so I'll do my best to explain anything I can."
"Hmm... I suppose it's a question about biological genetics?"
"Those descendants of the Kaslana Family we often meet during our travels... they all have white hair and blue eyes, don't they?"
"About that... yes, barring external interference, they all indeed have white hair and blue eyes. Is something the matter, Miss Irene?"
The Captain looked at the witch before him with curiosity.
"Hmm... It's nothing... Bronie, I agree with the Captain. Let's go meet this Miss Kevin...?"
External interference, huh? That must be the missing part of the little cutie that Loki and the others mentioned...