Three Crimson Denizens surrounded the flame-haired girl from all sides.
Her solemn expression was justified—she wasn't naive enough to underestimate them simply because there were three of them together. The blond boy's fierce strike moments ago had already forced her to get serious.
She might not know Tiriel or Sydonay, but if these two were even stronger than the blond boy, then her odds in this battle could only be described as pitifully low.
Though the flame-haired girl wore a grave expression, in truth, the moment Sydonay saw her, his own expression turned even more serious than hers.
"To think it's the Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter…!"
Sydonay, who had appeared completely relaxed until now, instantly tensed upon seeing those blazing flames, his body instinctively bracing for a powerful enemy.
He had no choice. Others might not clearly grasp the significance behind the title "Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter," but Sydonay understood it far too well.
The gods had been absent from this world for so long that both Flame Hazes and Crimson Denizens alike had forgotten their reverence.
Younger Denizens like Tiriel and Sorath regarded the flame-haired girl with contempt.
But Sydonay was different. As the most perfectly realized follower of the God of Creation, and as an incredibly ancient Crimson Lord himself, he had personally experienced the awe-inspiring might of the gods he served, and had witnessed firsthand the terrifying power of the previous Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter.
"To meet the contractor of the God of Retribution here…"
Even though it was three against one, Sydonay did not dare let his guard down. His sharp eyes, hidden behind sunglasses, locked firmly onto the flame-haired girl.
He worried—worried that she might interfere with his acquisition of [Reiji Maigo].
The flame-haired girl had only been a Flame Haze for two years, making her not merely young, but practically a hatchling, by Flame Haze and Denizen standards alike. Thus, while the girl herself didn't recognize the legendary Sydonay, Alastor certainly did.
"Even the 'Thousand Changes' has appeared?!"
Alastor could no longer maintain his composure.
Tiriel and Sorath were trivial threats in Alastor's eyes, but Sydonay was entirely different! Not merely because he was the follower of the God of Creation, but because of his sheer, monstrous strength! He was a one-man army, a Crimson Lord who alone had slaughtered hundreds of Flame Hazes in battle!
"You can't handle them alone! Find an opening and escape!"
Alastor urgently advised the flame-haired girl.
The girl trusted Alastor unconditionally. If this enemy made even him so anxious, she would naturally remain cautious.
But even if she wanted to escape, she needed an opportunity to run first.
"[Nietono no Shana]! [Nietono no Shana]!"
Unlike Sydonay's silent vigilance, Sorath was fixated solely upon Nietono no Shana—the katana in the flame-haired girl's hand—as if he couldn't even see the girl herself.
Tiriel flew gracefully to Sorath's side, eyes brimming with affection as she gently chided him. "Brother, that won't do. You can't just run off to fight someone by yourself."
"But look, Tiriel, it's [Nietono no Shana]! [Nietono no Shana] is right there."
"Yes, brother, I see it clearly. The [Nietono no Shana] we've been searching for is right there, in that Flame Haze's hands. Once we take it from her, it will finally be ours."
"[Nietono no Shana]…[Nietono no Shana]…"
The flame-haired girl raised an eyebrow, thoroughly irritated.
Those two kept repeating "[Nietono no Shana]" as though discussing their own property, their condescending attitude deeply infuriating.
"Pleased to meet you," Tiriel announced elegantly, pressing herself close to Sorath like a princess introducing herself at a ball. "This is my dear brother, 'Aizenji' Sorath, and I am 'Aizenta' Tiriel. Simply put, my brother desires your sword greatly, so—please hand over [Nietono no Shana], and then die."
No possibility of negotiation existed. Even if the flame-haired girl willingly surrendered [Nietono no Shana], Tiriel and Sorath had no intention of sparing her life. To Denizens who freely indulged in wickedness, Flame Hazes were natural enemies. Besides, they had an overwhelming advantage now. No one disliked kicking an enemy while they were down.
Having received Tiriel's permission, Sorath charged like an unleashed hound, swinging his massive Western greatsword with both hands. Even the wind pressure from his strikes felt oppressively heavy.
Earlier, his surprise attack had been dangerous only because it caught her off guard. Now, fully alert, the flame-haired girl wouldn't be hit so easily. With a powerful beat of her wings, she surged like a meteor, swiftly evading Sorath's blow.
"Wait, [Nietono no Shana]! Don't run away, [Nietono no Shana]…!"
Wearing an innocent smile, Sorath pursued the flame-haired girl like a child chasing a butterfly.
But he couldn't catch her.
To pursue a certain someone, the flame-haired girl had repeatedly rushed across cities at maximum speed whenever sensing her target's presence. Her obsession had forced her to spontaneously develop fiery wings, granting remarkable progress in speed, even if her overall power hadn't greatly increased.
If Sorath and Tiriel had been the only ones present, they wouldn't have been able to stop her from escaping.
But the one who truly made both the girl and Alastor wary was—
"!!!"
The swiftly flying girl stopped abruptly. Staring wide-eyed at Sydonay, who had appeared before her instantly, horror and gravity alternated in her blazing crimson eyes.
His eyes hidden by sunglasses, Sydonay calmly stood, hands in pockets, looking past the flame-haired girl toward Tiriel and Sorath approaching from behind.
"Should I step in?"
Tiriel paused briefly before nodding. "Indeed. It would be troublesome if [Nietono no Shana] escaped, especially since I didn't get the chance to deploy my [Cradle Garden]. Then, we'll trouble you, Sydonay-sama."
Only Sorath became visibly restless.
"[Nietono no Shana]…Hey, Tiriel, [Nietono no Shana]…"
"My dear brother, please be patient just a little longer."
Tiriel gently cradled Sorath's face, reassuring him. "This is to ensure complete success. Nietono no Shana will be ours very soon."
The flame-haired girl could no longer pay attention to Sorath and Tiriel. From a certain moment onward, Sydonay unleashed upon her an overwhelming aura, vast as mountains collapsing and seas overturning.
"Well then, let me see what this generation's Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter is truly capable of!"
As soon as he finished speaking—
"ROOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAARRRRR——!!"
Sydonay suddenly bellowed, his entire body igniting with mighty, murky purple flames.
Within these flames, his body expanded, changing rapidly.
Human appearance shed away.
Limbs morphed into a beast's form.
His torso became that of a mighty tiger, legs thick with muscle.
Eagle's talons replaced his feet, razor-sharp.
Bat-like wings spread out from his back; a massive serpent's tail lashed behind him.
Sharp horns protruded from his head, gleaming coldly as though capable of piercing steel.
Like a mythical chimera or a demon from ancient texts, this colossal beast, large as a small building, appeared wreathed in fire before the flame-haired girl, emitting fierce, sky-rending ferocity.
This was Sydonay's true battle form—the reason why he earned the name "Thousand Changes."
Like a shapeshifting beast from legend, Sydonay could freely alter his body, reshaping himself according to his will and battle situation, always turning circumstances to his advantage.
Killing him was exceedingly difficult—he could regenerate limbs and wounds effortlessly, provided he had sufficient [Power of Existence]. His versatility left no clear weaknesses; to truly destroy him, one would need to completely obliterate him without leaving a single scrap or exhaust all of his existence entirely…just to kill him once.
As a follower of the God of Creation, Sydonay's existence had long been woven into the very laws of the world. Even if annihilated, he would eventually return.
Pinned under Sydonay's gaze, the flame-haired girl felt suffocated, as if her throat were gripped by a beast's fangs, freezing her with dread.
Far away, inside the museum, Nitocris quietly compared the flame-haired girl's blazing presence against Sydonay's explosive fury…
"She can't win…"
Sydonay wasn't even carrying a weapon, nor was he truly serious. Yet, even so, the girl stood no chance.
"That girl…she's Alastor's current contractor," Leanan-sidhe's voice echoed beside Nitocris, also observing the battlefield. "Seems like she's the second generation. Unfortunately, her luck isn't great."
"You shouldn't talk, your luck isn't great either," Nitocris rolled her eyes at Leanan-sidhe. "You only ever wanted to quietly obey the rules, yet you got stuck with that crazed hyena chasing you."
Leanan-sidhe simply laughed gently.
Nitocris said no more. Her thoughts were still focused on the battlefield, on the girl. She was young, promising—but now, she stood no chance against Sydonay.
Nitocris: So I intervened.
...
Faced with the strongest Crimson Lord, faced with that terrifying murderous intent as deep and dark as the abyss, the flame-haired girl's pupils trembled as she tightly gripped [Nietono no Shana].
She was a Flame Haze—the contracted one of the God of Retribution, the guardian of the world's balance.
She took pride in her identity, refusing to sully it with actions that would disgrace her role or betray others' trust.
Even if it meant death, she would clutch her weapon and fight until the very end…
The girl thought about Alastor. If she died here, Alastor would need to seek a new contractor.
She thought about Wilhelmina, the guardian who had raised her. Since becoming a Flame Haze, they hadn't met even once. If she died now, Wilhelmina would surely feel disappointed, right?
She remembered her teacher who had taught her how to fight—Shiro. Sadly, he was already gone, having disappeared after teaching her that final lesson.
The last figure to appear in her mind was Nitocris.
Whenever she thought of that person, the flame-haired girl felt irritated, frustrated, even angry.
A bad impression is still an impression. Even though they'd only met once, even though she didn't even know Nitocris's name.
If I die now, I'll never know her name or her purpose…
Every time she had free moments and stared at the sky, the girl felt perplexed—why did she save me out of nowhere? What relation does she have with me?
In that brief instant, she thought about many things.
Sydonay had already bared his fangs, tensing every muscle in his body. Even the space around him seemed distorted by his overwhelming ferocity.
The girl would not retreat. Scarlet flames engulfed the blade of [Nietono no Shana].
The distance between them could be crossed in the blink of an eye, which made it all the more necessary to remain utterly focused, watching every tiny movement the enemy made.
Victory or defeat, life or death—everything would be decided in an instant.
Until the breeze halted, until the world was split by two opposing auras—
BOOM!
Roaring, gray flames suddenly erupted upward, towering like a colossal pillar that supported heaven and earth.
Naturally, everyone's attention was seized by this pillar of fire, expressions shocked.
After all, something like this appearing so abruptly wasn't exactly good for the heart.
"Gray flames…"
Sydonay sank into deep thought, searching his memory for anyone connected to gray flames.
The flame-haired girl stared blankly at the massive pillar of gray fire piercing through the sky, the shadowy figure that had flashed through her mind earlier suddenly becoming clearer.
Yet the figure that emerged from within those gray flames was not someone she recognized—it was a massive claw.
BOOM!
Accompanied by a violent gust of wind, Sydonay instantly vanished from everyone's sight. The giant claw swept horizontally through the air; Sydonay only had time for half a groan before being hurled through the sky like a missile, plummeting heavily toward the ground with a deafening crash.
Sydonay, having transformed into his chimera form, was already as massive as a small building—but the beast that slowly stepped out from the pillar of fire had a body even more enormous. Its claw alone was half the size of Sydonay in his chimera state.
Aside from its colossal size, the beast bore another resemblance to Sydonay: its body similarly displayed traits from multiple animals.
Its head was crocodilian, its upper torso resembled a lion, and its lower body was like a hippopotamus.
It appeared as though stitched together from different animals, yet the beast didn't look grotesque—rather, it exuded a certain sense of sacred majesty.
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