The distant Molten Fiend continued venting its rage among the ruins, each swing of its arms accompanied by the rumble of collapsing buildings.
Fortunately, it didn't yet seem to turn its attention toward the densely populated urban areas farther out—the only silver lining.
Saria gripped her communicator, Originium Arts within her body poised for activation at any moment.
Finally, the earpiece transmitted Kristen's voice once more, still with that official, detached tone:
"Communication is established. The President has agreed to the proposal for a temporary suspension of military strikes. But..."
Kristen paused.
"He demands that subsequent 'handling' must be fully undertaken and executed by us at Rhine Lab."
"Understood." Saria's voice was unexpectedly calm; she had already anticipated this outcome.
The trouble Rhine Lab brought, Rhine Lab must solve—at least on the surface.
A brief silence fell between both ends.
After a while, Saria took a deep breath and spoke again, her voice low and clear:
"Kristen... after this incident, let's terminate the 'Ifrit Project.'"
Her gaze swept over the hellish scene before her, her tone carrying unprecedented gravity and certainty:
"We've both seen it—this power... is simply not something humans can control or harness. Forcing research and use will only bring about destruction."
On the other end, Kristen remained silent for a moment, seemingly assessing the proposal, before responding succinctly:
"Fine. I'll formally propose termination at the board meeting."
Then, she added a rare extra sentence, her voice softening a fraction:
"Is there... anything else you want to say?"
Saria closed her eyes. Silent's worried face and Ifrit's trusting gaze flashed through her mind.
Her tightly clenched fists loosened slightly, then tightened again.
"...Apologize to Silent, and to Ifrit, for me."
"Tell them... I might... have to break my promise this once
With that, she terminated the communication before Kirsten could respond.
No grand declarations. Saria pushed all her emotions back down, performing one final check of the calcified crystals coating her body and steadying her breath.
Then, she took a step forward.
Step by step, she walked toward the rampaging Lava Troll that was still wreaking havoc, advancing firmly against the onslaught of scorching heat and aura of annihilation.
She knew the military might break their agreement at any moment. She knew her chances of success were vanishingly slim.
But for Silence, for Ifrit, for the countless innocent lives in this city…
She had to try.
A figure in white, against the crimson backdrop of hell, moving against the fleeing tide of people, walking resolutely toward the burning abyss.
Elsewhere
After annihilating those pesky "insects," the rampaging Lava Troll roared with savage satisfaction, the tearing agony within its body momentarily easing.
Its massive head turned, blazing eyes locking onto distant areas where more lights flickered.
A strange sensation welled up. With dull realization, it grasped that the previous method of attack had allowed a brief vent for its suffering.
This vague notion excited it.
Once more, it raised its mountainous arms. Rampant energy began compressing violently toward its palms, rapidly forming a miniature sun that radiated an aura of destruction.
Just as the meteorite was about to coalesce and it prepared to hurl it toward those irritating distant lights, an odd sensation beneath its feet drew its attention.
A patch of… white.
Amidst the palette of destruction—charred black, crimson red, and flowing lava—a patch of pristine, faintly glowing white crystals was visibly spreading from beneath its feet.
This abrupt splash of color compelled it to follow the source of the white crystals.
Then, it saw that tiny, white figure.
Saria.
She stood there, arms slowly extending to her sides, palms open, indicating she held no weapons.
Just like that, under the troll's gaze, she walked toward it with unwavering steps.
Her gaze pierced through the haze of dust and scorching waves, meeting the pair of blazing lava eyes without flinching.
This action, this posture…
The troll could not comprehend. It simply raised its hand—just as it had when attacking those insects earlier.
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My : https://[email protected]/Noctra418
In Arknights: Soul Knight (78 Chapters – Ongoing)
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The not-yet-fully-formed meteorite in its hand was hurled forward—not a perfected *[Blasting Shield]*, just a mass of forcibly condensed energy.
Yet the power it contained was still enough to erase a small hill from the map.
Facing this oncoming wave of destruction, Saria's pupils contracted sharply. Her Originium Arts surged to their limit in an instant.
Not for attack or self-defense, but all poured into the earth beneath her feet.
"RUMBLE—!"
Massive walls of calcified crystals erupted from the ground, curving upward and inward, interweaving.
Just before the attack landed, they barely managed to form a thick, white crystalline sphere above Saria, cocooning her at its core.
Almost the instant the sphere sealed shut, the blazing meteorite slammed into it.
Flames and violent shockwaves instantly engulfed the area. The surface of the white crystalline sphere instantly cracked like a spider's web.
The entire sphere was smashed deep into the ground by the tremendous force, even piercing through the fragile foundation below, plunging into the depths underground.
"Pfft—!"
At the very core of the sphere, even with layer upon layer of calcified crystals as a buffer, the terrifying impact that penetrated left Saria's vision darkening.
A mouthful of blood sprayed uncontrollably, staining the front of her uniform.
Saria bit her tongue sharply. The sharp pain jolted her nerves, forcing her to remain conscious.
Seeing the white "shell" not shattered by a single blow but instead buried underground, the Lava Troll raised its four lava arms high, bringing them down one after another upon Saria's buried location.
"BANG!!"
"CRASH—!!!"
"RUMBLE—!!!"
The dull, heavy impacts echoed like war drums beaten by a giant, or like the mournful heartbeat of the earth.
Centered on the ruins of Rhine Lab, discernible shockwaves rippled outward across the entire city of Terramon.
In the city of Terramon, panic was spreading.
Crystal chandeliers in upscale restaurants swayed wildly, plates and glasses clattering.
Office workers in skyscrapers ducked under desks in alarm, feeling the floor tremble with ever-strengthening vibrations.
In residential areas, children wailed in fright, pets barking restlessly.
"What's happening?! Is it a Catastrophe?!"
"I—I saw it earlier! A meteorite! From that direction! The army… the army seems completely wiped out!"
"A meteorite? What nonsense are you talking?!"
Panic hung over everyone's hearts like a tangible dark cloud.
At the center of destruction.
Each slam of the giant arms brought earthshaking terror.
The ground was pounded deeper and deeper, surrounding debris shaken into the air only to be torn apart mid-flight by shockwaves.
"Cough… ugh…"
Inside the sphere, Saria curled up. Each impact felt like a heavy hammer blow.
Gritting her teeth, blood continuously seeped from the corners of her mouth, yet she still frantically channeled her Originium Arts.
The outer layers of crystals shattered and flaked away under each bombardment, but she instantly condensed new layers to replace them.
It was an immensely draining process, both mentally and physically. Her complexion visibly paled, her breathing growing labored and ragged.
She didn't know how long this bombardment would last, or how long she could hold on.
She just stubbornly, over and over, repeated the process of condensation and repair.
She was gambling.
Gambling that this monster's rampage was not infinite.
Gambling that after exhausting its strength, it would experience another brief moment of clarity.
Gambling that she… could last until that moment.
The Lava Troll's frenzied attacks continued. Its four arms pounded like tireless pile drivers, completely leveling the area and digging ever deeper.
Yet, after a series of violent swings, the frequency of its attacks showed the slightest hint of slowing.
Was it energy depletion? Simple exhaustion?
Saria敏锐地捕捉到了这一丝变化. (Saria keenly caught this slight change.)
It seemed that realizing simple pounding couldn't crush the stubborn turtle shell beneath it, the Lava Troll instinctively chose a more extreme method.
Between the gaps in its dark red carapace, blinding light wildly gathered—highly compressed destructive energy.
The fists of all four arms simultaneously lit up with a terrifying, unbearable crimson glow.
"ROAR—!!!"
With a roar, all four lava fists slammed down simultaneously toward Saria's buried location.
A pillar of crimson lava erupted skyward from the impact point.
Following it was a shockwave that swept everything in its path, an invisible ring of death reducing all it touched to ash.
A small crimson mushroom cloud slowly rose over the ruins of Rhine Lab.
At the very core of the attack, the calcified sphere Saria had desperately maintained didn't last a second longer.
Upon contact, it shattered and disintegrated layer by layer, like glass tossed into a steel furnace.
"Ugh—!"
Buried deep within the sphere's core, Saria only felt an impact force threatening to grind her to dust before instantly losing all consciousness.
The shattered crystalline sphere, along with the figure inside, was violently blasted deeper underground by this irresistible force.
The power of this strike far exceeded everyone's expectations.
Not only did it destroy everything on the surface, but its terrifying kinetic energy also pierced through the relatively fragile rock layers beneath Terramon, rupturing the geological faults that maintained the city's stability.
"RUMBLE—!!!"
A greater roar erupted from deep underground.
Centered on the Lava Troll's impact point, terrifying fissures spread outward in all directions like a spider's web.
The surrounding earth groaned under the strain. The ground surface across the entire area began collapsing and sinking on a large scale, like brittle crackers.
Ruins of skyscrapers, flowing lava, twisted metal… everything slid downward into the newly formed abyss along with the crumbling ground.
The Lava Troll, having just unleashed its attack and not yet able to roar in victory, felt the ground give way beneath it.
It plummeted into the darkness along with the shattered earth…
Tremors spread throughout Terramon. So did fear, reaching every heart.
The Rhine Lab Defense Department Director, along with the destructive troll, vanished from the surface, sinking into the unknown depths below.
Thus—
Rhine Lab Defense Department Director, Saria
Was defeated.