"Strange? Where did that cat go?"
The man was stunned. He hadn't expected the cat to vanish in the blink of an eye. He looked around but found nothing.
"Forget about the cat. Someone else has already cleared this place. Let's move elsewhere."
"What bad luck. Let's go."
Just as the two were about to pack up and leave...
...they felt a hint of something unusual.
"Do you feel the ground moving?"
"It seems..."
Before he could finish, the tremors suddenly intensified, as if the entire floor were about to be shattered.
Immediately after, a wave of scorching heat rushed toward them, and their minds went blank for a moment.
Boom—
"Flaming Lance!"
A deafening explosion suddenly rang out. Before the two could react, the wall beside them shattered!
Amid the flying bricks and stones, a graceful figure wrapped in blazing fire charged out from the ruins like an arrow from a bow.
"This is... Pfft—"
In the blink of an eye, Stelle's figure flickered. She raised her hand and violently sent one of them flying. He crashed through several walls in succession, bricks scattering everywhere, before finally slamming heavily onto the ground, his eyes rolling back as he passed out.
The remaining man froze in place, his pupils shrinking. He clearly hadn't processed what had just happened.
By the time he regained his senses, he was shocked to find that his companion, who had been standing right beside him, was nowhere to be seen.
In his place stood a gray-haired woman, standing quietly.
She held a lance in her hand. The tip was as clear as solidified amber, glowing with a warm luster, while the body of the lance was wreathed in burning flames. Heat waves rose and fell gently with her breath.
Stelle held the Flame Lance, pointing the tip directly at the other man.
"Your turn!"
As soon as she spoke, the man snapped out of his shock. His eyes sharpened, and without the slightest hesitation, he slammed both hands onto the ground!
With a loud "Boom," the once-hard ground began to boil like lava. Waves of scorching heat surged out, and the surrounding temperature skyrocketed, even baking the walls until they were hot to the touch.
With a thought from the man, the scorching lava on the ground instantly transformed into a rolling giant wave. Carrying a billowing heat wave, it slammed down toward Stelle's figure.
Seeing this, Stelle gripped her Flame Lance, completely unafraid.
"Indestructible."
Stelle slammed the Flame Lance down in front of her. The tip erupted with bursts of fire, and the flames around her surged. An amber-colored pattern instantly appeared in the air before her.
As the lava tide swept in with destructive momentum, just as it was about to touch Stelle, the pattern suddenly lit up. An invisible barrier appeared out of thin air, easily blocking the lava.
The moment the barrier collided with the lava, it made a deafening sound. Heat waves scattered in all directions, but they couldn't budge the barrier even an inch.
The seemingly terrifying attack was easily blocked by Stelle.
But when the tide dissipated, the man from before had already disappeared.
"Thinking of running? Not a chance! Take an Enhanced Basic Attack first!"
Stelle never lets a grudge last overnight.
Assuming the other party couldn't have gone far yet, Stelle immediately gave chase.
And as Stelle expected...
After only a few steps, she saw a shadow exposed around a corner ahead.
Stelle (⌐■‿■): 'Oh? Trying to play dead and then ambush me? Too bad, I've already anticipated your anticipation!'
Since the opponent wanted to use the corner to launch a sneak attack, Stelle wasn't going to play by the rules!
Stelle's golden eyes darted craftily, her gaze locking onto the wall ahead. It was as if she could see through the cold concrete to the figure behind it, who was secretly laughing and thinking they had succeeded.
She gave a wicked smile, and the Flame Lance in her hand ignited once more.
"Fracture!"
With a loud shout, Stelle's target was to strike directly through the wall and catch him off guard.
With a loud bang, the stone wall shattered. The Flame Lance, wrapped in blazing fire, pierced fiercely toward the figure.
Everything was proceeding according to Stelle's plan.
Clang—
A piercing sound of metal clashing suddenly exploded, and sparks flew in the dim space.
The fiery figure seemed to have hit something incredibly hard, and her charge came to an abrupt halt.
Stelle felt her hand go heavy. An irresistible force instantly sent her flying backward at an even faster speed, crashing directly through a wall.
The violent impact knocked the wind out of her chest. Her vision went black, her consciousness blurred rapidly, and finally, she closed her eyes and passed out.
...
After a while, in her daze, Stelle felt a soft and warm sensation beneath the back of her head. It felt like divine mercy, causing her to snap awake, her eyes still holding a trace of lingering fear.
"You're awake."
A familiar, cool voice came from the side, instantly dispelling the chaos in Stelle's mind.
Stelle rubbed her tight chest and squinted at the familiar figure beside her.
Stelle (⊙▽⊙): 'Acheron?!!'
Noticing Stelle had woken up, Acheron's purple eyes immediately looked over, her tone carrying a hint of concern.
"Are you alright?"
Stelle, whose brain had just restarted, was still dizzy. It took her a good while to manage to focus her gaze.
She first scanned the surroundings blankly, then looked at Acheron beside her. Her gaze followed the edge of Acheron's clothes all the way down, finally landing on those fair and shapely long legs.
A few seconds later, it was as if Stelle had suddenly been hit by a "sleep button." She closed her eyes and, with a "thud," lay back down. Her expression was so peaceful that it was as if her waking up just now had been an illusion.
Stelle (o_o): "I'm not okay. I've suffered very serious internal injuries. I might need to rest for ten days to half a month to get better."
Acheron (๑•. •๑): "..."
...
"Muyun City has been restless lately. I came out to look for clues, and as I was passing by, I happened to run into this person."
Acheron explained her purpose for being there and pointed with her eyes to the figure nearby, his eyes rolled back—the very person Stelle had been chasing.
Seeing this, Stelle understood the situation.
So her Enhanced Basic Attack had been blocked by Acheron. No wonder.
"But why does my chest feel so tight right now!"
As she spoke, Stelle gloomily rubbed her not-so-plentiful chest, her brows knitting into a small knot.
Hearing this, Acheron remained silent and then silently averted her gaze.
However, as if she had guessed the answer, Stelle's eyes instantly turned red, and she looked at Acheron with a pitiful expression.
Stelle (ʘ̥∧ʘ̥): "Acheron, you... you actually used your sheath and slashed me!"
Acheron (๑˙ー˙๑): "...I'm sorry."
Back to the main topic.
Stelle led Acheron further into the building.
If she hadn't heard wrong, those two seemed to want to do more than just kill a cat.
Soon, a mysterious, blood-colored rune array appeared before them.
The rune array was composed of complex patterns, each glowing with an eerie red light. In the center of the array, there seemed to be remnants of dried blood, which was enough to make one's heart race in fear.
Stelle scratched her head in confusion. "What is this thing?"
Acheron blinked her moist purple eyes, her gaze sweeping over the blood-colored rune array. "I'm not sure, but it should be related to the Church's goal."
Acheron carefully observed the scene and soon made a new discovery.
In a corner of the rune array, a cute Sparkle Doll was hidden. Its round face still wore a sweet smile, looking completely out of place with the eerie atmosphere around it.
Stelle stepped forward, took the doll, and offered her own thought.
"Excluding Sparkle's twisted sense of humor, then this is most likely the work of the Church, right?"
Acheron nodded slightly, then lightly touched her lip with a fingertip, a hint of deep thought flashing in her purple eyes.
"There should be more than one of these arrays set up. Otherwise, the people from the Church wouldn't have gone to such great lengths."
"In other words, we just need to destroy all the arrays, and the Church's conspiracy will fall apart!" Stelle's eyes lit up, her tone full of excitement.
However, Acheron shook her head regretfully, her tone carrying a bit of helplessness.
"To destroy the entirety of Muyun City, the number of these objects must be quite large, and their distribution incredibly hidden.
In the worst-case scenario, we might not have enough time to clear them all, and missing one or two might not affect the Church's goal."
Hearing this, Stelle also realized the situation. It felt like a heavy stone was pressing on her heart, and she felt a bit weighed down.
Acheron noticed Stelle's dejected expression and spoke to comfort her.
"Don't be discouraged. For a seed to grow into a complete tree, soil, sunlight, and water are all indispensable.
Although we cannot clear all the nodes, every one we destroy will have an impact on their plan.
We just need to adapt to the situation as it unfolds. We will always find a way to break it."
After saying this, Acheron reached out and stroked Stelle's hair. Her movements were gentle, carrying silent encouragement.
After hearing this, the gloom in Stelle's heart instantly vanished, and she felt her fighting spirit rekindle.