—The Azure Knight.
This was the guardian and overseer Aya Tokoyogi had gained after contracting with demons. After overturning the natural order and seizing control of her contracted demon, she had fed it to the Azure Knight.
Through Arcane Arts, Aya forcibly elevated her guardian to the level of a wild Demigod—a Demigod without a Class. For a Witch Class specialist like Aya, this made the knight both an ideal shield and a formidable weapon.
Yet now, she faced Luo Shu's meticulously laid trap. Death loomed, forcing Aya to make a choice.
Under the inescapable barrage, the Azure Knight materialised abruptly.
The moment it manifested, it spread its arms, using its massive frame exceeding three metres to shield Aya Tokoyogi within its embrace, forming a solid bulwark with its colossal body.
In the next instant.
Light carrying the intent of annihilation and bullets that halted time surged forth like a tide, completely engulfing the towering figure.
Endless white lasers enveloped the enormous Azure Knight, piercing its massive form with almost no resistance, riddling it with holes enough to trigger trypophobia in any observer.
The beams generated by Metatron contained destructive power capable of eradicating all foreign energies through light's absolute repulsion.
Now, with its body penetrated by these beams, the Azure Knight's very life force began extinguishing in that moment.
Even Aya Tokoyogi, protected by the knight, had her defensive technique pierced, suffering penetrating wounds to her right forearm and left thigh.
"ROAR!!"
The mortally wounded Azure Knight unleashed a beast's death roar!
While shielding Aya Tokoyogi with one arm, it drew a greatsword over half a metre thick from the void, poised to strike Luo Shu.
But at that precise moment, subsequent time-stopping bullets froze the Azure Knight's temporal flow, rendering everything monochrome and locking all damage permanently within its form.
Almost instantaneously, the Azure Knight entered a death-throes state yet remained frozen in place by halted time.
Maintained as thus, the knight would remain eternally suspended between life and death within stopped time, until Kurumi Tokisaki chose to release the temporal stasis.
Yet, this was not the outcome Aya Tokoyogi desired.
Beneath the body of the Azure Knight, Aya Tokoyogi's fiery, cold gaze seemed to pierce through the flesh, locking onto Luo Shu:
"Unfurl!"
Aya Tokoyogi whispered.
With her words, dense black characters rapidly extended from her hair and the twelve-layered kimono she wore, spreading out in all directions.
The spreading black text swiftly transformed the eroded domain into pitch-black earth, turning the surrounding pure white radiance into a tranquil, distant night sky.
At the core of it all, the time-frozen Azure Knight regained its original colours at this moment, and the originally fatal situation was granted a reprieve.
Luo Shu, who had not fully engaged but was holding the line, immediately noticed the anomaly.
Frowning, he observed that the power that expelled the radiant domain created by Metatron interfered with Kurumi Tokisaki's City of Devouring Time and even disrupted Mukuro Hoshimiya's seals.
Seizing the moment when Aya Tokoyogi's weakened state prevented her from maintaining her technique's interference, Luo Shu covertly activated Raziel and the Mysticism Encyclopaedia within the Divine Kingdom to divine information about her.
Instantly, Luo Shu obtained precise imagery and swiftly deciphered key details:
"I see. A witch's Class can undergo directional changes upon advancing to Hero Rank, based on their research into techniques."
"For instance, a witch who studies the Fire Concept can ascend to Demigod Rank by specialising in manipulating fire-related concepts."
"And you, Aya, during your advancement to Hero Rank, studied the Dark Oath Grimoire's power to reject all phenomena, successfully sublimating it into the Denial Concept by the time you reached Demigod Rank..."
"The Witch of Darkness!"
"That is your current Class title, with the essence of your power lying in those dark characters imbued with the Denial Concept."
"Anything covered by those characters allows you to deny at least one, and at most two phenomena, correct?"
"So, after you employed the dark characters, the ground denied the influence of the City of Devouring Time, the night sky denied illumination, and the Azure Knight temporarily denied both death and time stagnation..."
As he rapidly conveyed these thoughts, Luo Shu mused aloud with a lethal question:
"The knight has already had two phenomena denied, meaning you no longer have the capacity to alter anything else it encounters."
"The majority of the numerous techniques you've researched and developed target demons or serve auxiliary research purposes, with few applicable to combat at the Demigod level."
"One-on-one, your extensive repertoire might grant you some advantage, but this is a four-against-one scenario. Your varied methods have become a liability, as you lack decisive offensive capabilities."
"No, I should say your offence lies with the Azure Knight—yet now, the Azure Knight is in even graver peril than you."
"You still possess two specially prepared Abyss Artefacts."
"One is the Substitute Puppet, the other the Book of Reincarnation."
"The Substitute Puppet is a one-time Demigod Rank artefact that allows you to swap places with a bound puppet and teleport you to the location you deem safest."
"And the Book of Reincarnation can revive you on a puppet bearing your genetic material after your complete death."
"To complement this Abyss Artefact, you secretly created three clones with your genetic material beneath several ancient castles in Germany, granting yourself three chances at reincarnation."
"If this is the confidence that allows you to face the encirclement of four Demigods here, then I advise you to surrender, Aya."
"For Natsuki's sake, I won't kill you. My earlier invitation still stands!"
Upon receiving these words transmitted through Spiritual Power, Aya Tokoyogi's face turned ashen.
Luo Shu had completely exposed her trump cards, yet he had only launched his first probing attack.
Now, faced with Luo Shu's offer, Aya Tokoyogi had already resolved herself to die. Her fiery red eyes remained as cold and rational as ever:
"Whether this is all the confidence I have, you're welcome to test it!"
Hearing this, Luo Shu chuckled:
"Then let's test it!"
With those words, he lightly waved his right hand.
In an instant, the three Spirits launched their second wave of attacks at his gesture.