Lin slightly adjusted the range of motion of his arm. Because the wound had been stitched, he had to move his right arm carefully. Since he didn't feel pain, a secondary tear would only make things worse.
He walked to the Oath of Judah and placed his hand calmly on its intricate patterns.
Lin felt he needed to re-examine this weapon to see if there were any untapped abilities. Furthermore, this weapon had some sort of connection with him; even with the pseudo-Herrscher core sealed, there was an indescribable sense of link.
The ability to operate a Divine Key was something almost anyone could master instinctively upon picking it up. Lin closed his eyes, and the patterns and emblems on the Oath of Judah began to glow with a faint light.
"..."
What is this?
Lin finger twitched. In an instant, the Oath of Judah emitted a more intense light.
When he opened his eyes again, the Oath of Judah—which was half a head taller than him—had vanished. In its place, on the back of his hand, was a cross that looked like a miniature model.
He shook his arm, and multiple chains emerged from it. With a casual flick, the length of the chains easily surpassed their original limit.
In this mode, all the Soulium had restructured into chains. It could track targets within a 200-kilometer radius. Moreover, since the entirety had restructured into chains, the main body was miniaturized; he no longer had to carry a nearly two-meter-tall, 150-kilogram cross everywhere.
As long as he had a biological sample of the target, he could use this mode to track them...
After gaining a rough understanding of this mode, Lin intended to return the Oath of Judah to its original form.
He placed his finger on the miniature cross, preparing to restructure it...
"Ugh—"
Suddenly, a memory that didn't belong to him flooded Lin mind.
Flames sweeping across the sky and red ice cracking the earth...
Hands bound to a cross with chains. Beneath him, burning fire.
He let go. The giant cross slammed onto the ground with a heavy thud. He clutched his chest, breathing heavily.
What was that just now?
In that split-second image, it felt as though he were there. Whether it was the firelight or the red ice, everything radiated a chilling sense of despair.
Darkness, like congealed grease, settled in this space. Only a single ray of moonlight spilled from behind onto the floor ahead.
The sound of slightly hurried footsteps approached. She lowered her hands from prayer and looked up. In the silver-gray moonlight, she watched the woman step out from the shadows not far away.
"How should I introduce myself to you? 'Long time no see'... or 'Nice to meet you'?"
The woman wearing a top hat wore an indescribable smile as she met the nun's cornflower-blue eyes.
"You... seem... different from before." The nun's faint tone brought a relaxed smile to Vil-V's face.
"As expected of a psychic-type MANTIS; you can detect it so easily." Vil-V removed her top hat and bowed slightly. "Although we are very similar, I am indeed not the Vil-V you knew before. To make it easier to distinguish, you can call me 'The Conductor.' I will likely be the Vil-V you see most often from now on."
"You..."
"Subverting 'common sense,' smashing 'rules,' and creating 'abnormality'—all are necessary to shatter and restructure the self. The prerequisite for unity is opposition. And for a genius, these are merely the basics." Vil-V ended the topic. She took a ring and a cross pendant from her pocket. "I offer my apologies. These should have been returned to you a year ago."
"..."
Aponia's gaze moved from Vil-V's calm face to her hand.
A ring and a cross.
These were the gifts she had given to that person—containing her Disciplines and her feelings.
"He cannot come here personally anymore. As for me, I couldn't move for a long time." No matter how calm Vil-V's face was, she couldn't hide the sting deep in her eyes.
Aponia silently took the ring and the cross. She turned and placed them on her desk, then looked back and thanked her sincerely, "Thank you."
She knelt before that beam of bright moonlight, pressed her hands together, and resumed her prayers.
"..."
Vil-V looked at the nun praying devoutly in confusion.
Even with Vil-V's intellect, she couldn't understand what the nun was thinking.
Lin weight in her heart was evident from the two items she had given—especially that cross. As a member of the clergy, she had essentially given Lin her most precious faith.
Yet now... she seemed not to care about Lin at all. She was more concerned with how to offer her piety to her God.
"Is there anything else?" Aponia's eyes were closed, her lips trembling slightly.
"No..."
Vil-V left. Only the nun remained, facing that ray of moonlight that had never changed from beginning to end. She slowly opened her crimson eyes.
Facing someone's departure—does the nun not feel pain?
No.
Before coming into contact with people, she must first accept their ending.
Thus, she knew that Lin ending had not yet arrived.
Thus, she knew... that before the ending arrived, she could only stay with him beneath this beam of moonlight he had brought, waiting through the little time that remained.
"Hmm, good. Time for the second act to begin."
Lin snapped his eyes open. He flipped up, and as he stood firmly on the ground, he froze for a moment.
The injury was gone?
Not only was the injury gone, but his surroundings had transformed into a vast, empty plain. Nothing was visible as far as the eye could see, save for the Oath of Judah standing behind him.
The cloaked man's voice came from above. Lin looked up and saw his exposed chin and a playful smile.
"I believe in Spartan-style education. A serious injury is no excuse."
Without a word, Lin placed his hand on the Oath of Judah. He deployed the cross, chains and spears ready to strike.
"Oh? Now that's more like it." The man seemed satisfied with Lin attitude. He drew the long blade he had used before from thin air.
This time, Lin observed the weapon in his hand carefully. At a rough glance, it was a single-edged blade with Shenzhou-style characteristics. There were cloud-wing decorations on the hilt, and the blade's length made it look suitable for both hacking and thrusting.
"What is it? Do you like my weapon? Oh, I know it's cool. Do you want one too?" The man lightly ran his finger along the blade, cutting it. He laughed with delight. "But you already have a weapon. You should learn how to use that cross first."
He didn't talk as much today. He raised the long blade, taking an initial stance.
"Let's begin then. Speaking of which, you must be curious about the swordsmanship I use, right? Well, watch closely today."
"Sword Form: Cleave."
A terrifying figure that the retina couldn't even catch as an afterimage appeared before Lin in less than half a second!