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At the same time that Bokue and the others were making their way down the violently blasted-open corridors, deep in the lowest level of Keystone Gate—in a sealed, off-limits chamber where no outsiders were ever permitted—an ancient, suffocating silence was suddenly broken by the sound of slow, heavy footsteps.
Like dust fairies caught off guard, the specks floating in the air shimmered under the prismatic light emanating from the massive magical prism in the center of the floor—its brilliance drawn from the entirety of Itogami Island's spiritual network.
For a moment, those particles froze midair… and then began drifting backward, against the current, like rain falling in reverse.
A figure stepped into view, emerging from the lone entrance to the chamber.
It was the Apostle from Lotharingia—Rudolf Eustach—still carrying his massive battle axe.
Behind him floated the white, humanoid beast he controlled, with the blue-haired girl embedded within its crystalline chest cavity. Her body was nearly unrecognizable now, almost like she'd become the core powering the entire construct.
Rudolf slowly descended the stairs, his eyes fixed on the massive pillar of magic sealed in the center of the room—its upper and lower halves encased in arcane roots like a colossal tree binding a sacred relic.
His hands trembled as he reached toward it, tears welling up and spilling down the corners of his weathered, rock-like face.
"Ah… I've finally found it… I finally… found it…"
Thud.
The Apostle suddenly dropped to his knees, the impact so heavy that even the magical array beneath him rippled slightly from the force.
His shoulders trembled once—twice—and then without any transition at all, he burst into wild, unrestrained laughter. The shift from sorrow to manic joy didn't even require a moment's pause.
"Here it is! The immortal relic stolen from the Cathedral of Lotharingia! The day we take back what was rightfully ours… has finally come!!"
His eyes widened as he stared up at the sealed core, which housed—barely visible inside—a pale white object that looked unmistakably like a human arm.
The same one Bokue had seen earlier on the tablet screen.
The Right Arm of the Saint.
Rudolf suddenly stood and swung his black cloak wide as he turned sharply to face the blue-haired girl inside the white familiar.
"No one can stop us now! Remove this cursed wedge! Let this depraved island be punished!!"
"[Command recognized.]"
Her flat, inorganic voice rang out from within the crystal core.
"However, command contains ambiguities. Requesting clarification."
"…What?"
He hadn't expected his vague wording to render Astarte inoperable. The delay made him frown slightly in irritation.
But just as he opened his mouth to reissue the order—
A sharp, blinding flash of silver arced through the air like a sliver of moonlight, cutting through the silence and heading straight for him.
"Schneewalzer!"
CLANG!
Sparks flew as weapons clashed.
Rudolf barely managed to shift his body, using the axe still strapped to his back to block the incoming strike. He hadn't even had time to unsling it.
The force of the impact still sent him staggering backward several steps before he regained his footing and finally drew the weapon.
And standing before him now was a silver-haired shrine maiden, spear in hand, expression resolute.
She had rushed straight here with all her strength—and she'd made it just in time.
"So it was you after all… the Apostle from Lotharingia."
"…Sword Shaman of the Lion King Organization." Rudolf frowned again.
They were colleagues in a way. Under different circumstances, he wouldn't have wanted to kill her.
But with things as they were—there was no avoiding it.
"What is your goal here, Apostle?" Yukina Himeragi raised Schneewalzer, pointing the silver spear directly at his throat.
She was surrounded. Any normal warrior would be on high alert in this situation. But not her.
From last night's fight, she'd realized something important—Astarte, the blue-haired girl inside the white familiar, couldn't act on her own. She required verbal commands from Rudolf to do anything.
Which meant… if Yukina could stop him from speaking—Astarte would be completely neutralized.
Just a doll.
"What's my goal?" Rudolf snorted.
"This island you call Itogami… is an artificial construct built atop a Ley Line—a Dragon Vein."
"The architect, Senra Itogami, did an excellent job. He divided the island into five sectors, surrounding the central hub with four cardinal districts, each symbolizing one of the Four Sacred Beasts—Byakko, Suzaku, Seiryū, and Genbu. That setup allowed for tight control over the Dragon Vein…"
"But to make it work… he needed one thing."
Rudolf's face twisted into a sneer of disgust.
"A core strong enough to serve as the foundation of the Yellow Dragon—the force that binds the other four."
"But forty years ago, the technology to create such a material didn't exist. So… he turned to forbidden magic."
As he spoke, fury slowly bled into every word. His knuckles whitened, veins bulging as his hands tightened around the massive axe.
"He used sacrificial construction materials, didn't he?"
Yukina had already pieced it together.
Sacrificial construction—a concept not unlike the Soul King of Bleach, where a divine being was mutilated and turned into the spiritual lynchpin holding multiple realms together.
Here, it was the same.
Forty years ago, unable to build a stable core strong enough to control the Dragon Vein, Itogami Senra had instead stolen The Right Arm of the Saint—a relic enshrined at the Cathedral of Lotharingia—and used it as the foundation stone.
"EXACTLY!"
Rudolf howled in rage, voice thick with loathing.
"To think that this cursed island's foundation—the very stone that props up a city crawling with devils—was forged from the sacred remains of our most revered Saint! I will not tolerate such blasphemy! I will reclaim our holy relic—through force if I must! Step aside, Sword Shaman! This is a holy war between our Church and this island!!"
"…I'm sorry. But I can't let you do that."
Yukina didn't back down.
"If you remove that core, Itogami Island will collapse into the Pacific. Fifty-six thousand lives would be lost. And besides… modern science has already advanced far enough to construct foundations of equivalent strength without using human sacrifices. If you were to file a claim, make your case legally—surely—"
But she didn't get to finish.
"And what if it were YOUR loved one who'd been used as a foundation?!" Rudolf bellowed, cutting her off with a soul-piercing roar.
"Would you still be talking about 'filing claims' while their body was being trampled by tens of thousands?!"
"I…"
"Enough! Words are meaningless!"
He'd waited for that moment—her brief hesitation, that instant of inner conflict—and seized it.
"Astarte! Kill her! No need to hold back!"
"[Command accepted.]"
The response came instantly from behind.
Yukina's eyes snapped wide in shock.
Too late.
A gust of wind screamed through the air as the pincer strike came from both sides.
She'd let her guard down.
But—right as the axe came crashing down—
A shadow appeared before her like a stain of ink blotting the air. He emerged without a sound, calm as still water, and stepped between Yukina and certain death.
He met the incoming blade and smiled...
"Yare yare… good thing I made it in time."
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