The fork stabbed forward, the fluid-like metal flowing — and it sent that gang member into a fit of rage.
Obviously, this strike, delivered under the Order, had been understood by him as an insult.
But very quickly, both Lu Mingfei and that gang member realized something was off.
That fork strike... it kind of seemed to hurt, just a little, didn't it?
In the very next instant, the fork passed clean through the half-blood's flesh without any resistance at all — and even snapped his finger bones in two!
Casually, as effortlessly as if he were simply skewering a piece of cooked steak. While Lu Mingfei was still reeling in stunned disbelief, he heard the half-blood's howl. At the same time, the others around finally snapped out of it too.
"For the Patriarch — take that bastard down!"
Someone raised an arm and shouted, while others had recognized exactly who Lu Mingfei was — but the outcome was one and the same. In a flash, Lu Mingfei suddenly realized that he was surrounded.
And of course, at exactly the worst possible moment, the Order beeper in his hand chimed.
[To Lu Mingfei: Render every single person here incapable of combat, and then proceed to defeat every member of the Eight Snake-Branch Families that comes within your line of sight.]
In that split second before being mobbed, Lu Mingfei lifted the Order beeper for a glance — and saw an Order that nearly made the world go black before his eyes.
He raised his head, reflexively throwing up a hand to block. The black fluid metal naturally surged upward, forming a shield, blocking the incoming punches and kicks.
This thing didn't actually seem to shift according to what Lu Mingfei thought. Mostly it depended on the mood of the Order, apparently.
But Lu Mingfei was starting to feel like the Order was kind of janky.
[To Lu Mingfei: Conduct sweep operations within Genji Heavy Industries, reach the top floor, and eliminate every obstacle along the way.]
Lu Mingfei's face fell as he saw the Order pop up on his beeper.
No way, bro? Don't tell me — because it heard me say the Orders were janky, it just decided to pile more on top?
He silently did the math in his head, and then realized that, stacking these two Orders together, the final upshot was that he was supposed to carve his way solo through the entirety of Genji Heavy Industries!
And how exactly is that any different from blowing up the entirety of Genji Heavy Industries by himself, may I ask?
And there was an even bigger problem.
"If you're going to drop me into a hellraid dungeon, at least hand out some gear!"
Lu Mingfei reflexively shouted, blocking another wave of attacks.
Even though he could keep blocking, against this many people, Lu Mingfei still found himself a little out of his depth. There was no helping it — his base physical stats were just way too lousy.
To borrow Anthony (Prometheus)'s words: you really are the absolute worst batch of subordinate I've ever had the misfortune of supervising.
There were plenty of methods to bring his stats up, but all of them took a while to show results. So Anthony (Prometheus)'s final pick had simply been to whip up that one weapon for Lu Mingfei.
A weapon perfectly tailored to the Order — as long as the Order wasn't being janky, Lu Mingfei wouldn't be in any real danger of losing.
The problem was: the Order not being janky was kind of unlikely.
And so, at this point, it seemed that even Anthony (Prometheus) couldn't bear to keep watching. And Lu Mingfei felt, vaguely, like he could hear a sigh.
Then, the Order beeper went absolutely nuts, and Lu Mingfei watched as Orders started displaying one after another like spam filling the screen.
[To Lu Mingfei: When the punk's fist reaches forty centimeters from the front of your face, use a scythe to behead him.]
[To Lu Mingfei: When the second gang member sweeps a low kick at you, use a rapier to pin his knee in place.]
[To Lu Mingfei: When the opposing party attempts to use Kotodama, fire a shot at his throat.]
With each Order surfacing in turn, the urgency of the electric jolt grew tighter and tighter. Lu Mingfei froze for an instant, and the next moment, he was already out of time to think.
Instead, on instinct, he swung the blade forward!
In a single instant, the black metal morphed into a scythe, lopping off a head, and the gates of the Underworld swung wide open, automatically pulling his corpse — soul and all — straight into the Eighteen Layers of Hell below.
The screams of Avici Hell, in that one moment, surfaced inside the hearts of every gang member present, stirring ripples upon ripples of terror.
"Aaaagh!"
Suddenly, a scream rang out — the rapier had pinned the second gang member in place, drawing a piercing shriek of agony from him. But Lu Mingfei's movements didn't stop.
He raised a hand. A bullet shot out of the black fluid in a flash, hitting its mark with pinpoint precision.
Under the Order's choreography, the combat had begun like a waltz.
Every attack landed right on the beat, even leaving him gaps to read the Orders — it looked unbelievably elegant.
But suddenly, the sound of an elevator chimed.
The first thing Lu Mingfei saw was more gang members pouring out of the elevator — and then he heard an unusual sound.
So he tilted his head up, and at the top of the elevator shaft, spotted the things lurking there.
A pack of Deadpools!
"Hold up — these things aren't something I can punch above my weight class on, no matter how much micro-management you do!"
Lu Mingfei was momentarily dumbfounded, and shouted out in protest.
Off in the distance, Shutoku Mai, who had been keeping a close eye on Lu Mingfei the whole time, couldn't help but knit her brow.
Even now, she hadn't received any updates from Lu Mingze regarding Lu Mingfei's status, nor any other instructions.
The only directive she'd been given was: observe first, do not act rashly.
As though, this time around, Lu Mingze too hadn't fully figured out the situation either.
But under these circumstances, she might have to do something.
Shutoku Mai swung her muzzle around, but in the next instant, her expression shifted ever so slightly.
Everything in front of the muzzle was pitch-black. She couldn't see a thing, let alone Lu Mingfei. She immediately looked up, toward Genji Heavy Industries.
But in her field of view, Genji Heavy Industries was now enveloped as if in a swathe of fog.
Pitch-black mist, just like the Underworld itself, had sealed all of Genji Heavy Industries inside.
Shutoku Mai placed a call to Lu Mingze. To her surprise, this time the line picked up almost immediately. On the other end, Lu Mingze was silent for a stretch.
"Keep waiting. No need to intervene."
Finally, that was Lu Mingze's instruction to Shutoku Mai.
"Yes."
She answered respectfully, while Lu Mingze, for his part, could only stare at the scene with a thoroughly mixed bag of feelings.
From the start of the second loop until now, he hadn't once gone looking for Lu Mingfei, or tried to do anything to him.
It wasn't that he didn't want to, or that he had a perfect handle on the current situation. It was simply that...
He didn't dare.
There was a kind of fear involved.
Whenever his gaze fell on Lu Mingfei, there was always a vague, indefinable sense of being targeted — a kind of warning.
He was certain that nobody else would feel this. Only he would.
When he looked at Lu Mingfei, he had the sensation that there was another soul lodged within Lu Mingfei's body — one watching him with eager, hungry anticipation.
Like a beast that had picked out its prey.
Just waiting for him to leap into the trap, so it could devour him whole.
He'd even developed a certain wariness toward that something. So he had no choice but to hold his ground here, not daring to make any rash moves.
But as a result, all he could do was watch helplessly as the second-loop Lu Mingfei began to act, watching everything slowly slip free of the script he'd plotted out.
Honestly speaking, the feeling was awful.
But Lu Mingze had no choice.
Meanwhile, inside Genji Heavy Industries, Lu Mingfei was utterly oblivious to the building being quietly sealed off.
He was just staring at the massive pack of Deadpools in front of him, going a little numb.
He had some recollection of these Deadpools. From the looks of things now, Herzog must have been backed up against the cliff edge and had decided to move ahead of schedule.
Like a cornered animal in its final death-struggle, he'd thrown everything aside and was just thrashing for his life.
But what about me, then?!
Faced with a crowd of Thunder Deadpools, Lu Mingfei reflexively looked at his Order beeper.
"Can I get a little more gear over here?! These guys are seriously a handful!"
This time, the Order beeper took a really long time before sending an Order through.
[To Lu Mingfei: Duck.]
Lu Mingfei didn't get what this Order was telling him to do. But a moment later, he suddenly understood.
He heard a sharp whistling sound through the air, and the sound of... something descending.
In that instant, Lu Mingfei didn't hesitate — he hit the deck. Right after that, the empty air cracked open, and from inside, the silhouette of some kind of presence emerged.
Wait, that's a... dog?
Looking at the black hound that had appeared out of the void, Lu Mingfei was struck speechless for a moment.
Then he watched as the dog turned its head to look back at him, with — astonishingly — an incredibly human expression of disdain and disgust in its eyes. It opened its jaws and barked at him twice.
Lu Mingfei didn't understand a word, but he had the distinct sense that this dog was cursing him out.
He vaguely recognized this dog — it seemed to be the one that always followed Anthony (Prometheus) around. But faced with this scene, his brain short-circuited, and he couldn't help but blurt out something stupid:
"Dog-bro, are you here to help me make a run for it?"
"Woof!"
Dog-bro barked once at Lu Mingfei, which translated to: run my furry ass.
The disdain in its eyes was practically overflowing. It lifted a paw and pointed at the pack of Deadpools in front of them, as if to say: just this little errand, and you're seriously calling on Dog-bro for help?
Watching the Deadpool pack getting visibly more agitated, Lu Mingfei felt himself on the verge of breaking down: "But I can't take them on!"
At that, he seemed to hear the Xiaotian Hound sigh.
Once again, he caught the look in the Xiaotian Hound's eyes: sit your butt down and watch Dog-bro put on a show.
So the Xiaotian Hound turned to face the pack of Deadpools, and without another word, opened its mouth.
What's it doing? Eating the Deadpools?
Lu Mingfei instinctively froze, and for a brief moment even entertained the thought of scooping Dog-bro up and bolting. But in the very next moment, he remembered the Orders.
And then he remembered that this dog didn't actually seem to need his worry.
Just as that thought drifted through his head, Lu Mingfei suddenly heard a thunderous roar. The next instant, his ears were ringing so badly that the sound flooded his entire brain, leaving his mind completely blank.
All he saw were shockwaves spreading outward from the Xiaotian Hound's mouth, and a beam of light four or five meters thick erupting from its open jaws!
With a power that felt like sheer annihilation, in the briefest of instants — amid the building's groaning roar and lament — it pulverized the enemies before them into nothing!
The high temperature vaporized the Deadpool pack. The wall structures of Genji Heavy Industries crumbled in an instant, dirt and sand showering down, the entire framework now teetering unsteadily.
The Xiaotian Hound, meanwhile, turned its head back, tongue lolling, panting, and shot Lu Mingfei — who'd been spectating from the sidelines — a look that was pure 'are you stupid or what.'
Lu Mingfei stared dazedly at the scene. The Deadpool pack was already nowhere to be seen, and the entire floor appeared to be wiped clean.
"What the heck was that? An imaginary dog cannon?"
He said something stupid, and heard the Xiaotian Hound bark twice in his direction — apparently signaling for him to come along.
This time, even without the Order prodding him, Lu Mingfei reflexively lifted his feet and followed in the Xiaotian Hound's wake, heading straight into the elevator shaft.
"This thing's not going to collapse on us, is it?"
Lu Mingfei asked with some concern, but he still went ahead and operated the elevator. The Xiaotian Hound barked twice, wagging its tail, with quite the disdainful air.
The message was simple: with me here, you've actually got the nerve to worry about that kind of garbage?
So the elevator started rising. Lu Mingfei retracted the weapon formed of black fluid metal in his hand, and continued questioning:
"Dog-bro, where are we headed next? Are we going to regroup with the boss and the others?"
"Woof!"
The Xiaotian Hound let out a bark. Lu Mingfei didn't quite catch Dog-bro's meaning, but he had the sense that Dog-bro wasn't on board with that idea.
Soon, though, Lu Mingfei remembered the Orders he was currently following.
It seemed like, right now, he couldn't really go regroup with the boss and the others anyway. Per the Orders, he was supposed to carve his way clean through the entire Genji Heavy Industries building.
Which meant his destination right now was probably the top floor of Genji Heavy Industries, and immediately.
No matter who he ran into along the way — so long as they were from the Eight Snake-Branch Families — per the Order, he had to deal with them.
He let out a sigh, then, rushing to beat the electric jolt, hurriedly punched in the button for the top floor.
The elevator continued upward. The doors made a rumbling sound. After taking a hit from that imaginary dog cannon earlier, they were probably about ready to give up the ghost.
Finally, with an exaggerated, teeth-grinding screech, the doors crashed open, startling a whole crowd of Eight Snake-Branch Families members on the other side.
For a moment, Lu Mingfei and they just stared at each other wide-eyed. Then, before they could even take action, he was the first to raise his hand.
The black fluid surged forth and, following the Order's intent, transformed into a black German-style greatsword.
Well, no other choice then, right?
Lu Mingfei drew in a deep breath and, in the elevator shaft, swung the greatsword.
And so — against every single person within his line of sight!
Declare war!
...
"Thank you. Bringing me this far is plenty."
At the very same moment, on the top floor of Genji Heavy Industries, Anthony (Prometheus) gave a small, polite bow toward the Fūma Clan ninja in front of him, speaking courteously.
"Farewell. May you enjoy good health and well-being in the years to come."
With that, he waved at the ninja, a light smile on his face. But the ninja's expression looked utterly devoid of any will to live.
He had personally escorted Anthony (Prometheus) to this place.
But his own body had been entirely beyond his control.
It wasn't until Anthony (Prometheus) had released the binding from the Forgemaster that the ninja finally felt control of his own body return to him.
But by that point, he no longer had the courage to raise a hand against the person before him.
After hesitating for a long moment, he gently bit down on the poison embedded in his back molar — but suddenly, all the strength in his body went slack again.
The teeth that had clamped down on the poison loosened. Dejectedly, he turned and walked away.
Anthony (Prometheus) didn't watch him go. He simply pushed open the door in front of him with a light touch.
Behind the door was an odd figure wearing a Noh theater mask. Upon seeing Anthony (Prometheus) approach, the figure straightened up sharply, looking toward him.
"Honored sir..."
"I have no interest in the niceties."
Anthony (Prometheus) cut in casually, then pulled out a chair and sat himself down right in front of the man.
Right after that, he tilted his head up, the familiar trace of a smile playing on his face, and said softly:
"Well then — good morning, Dr. Herzog. Or perhaps I should say... Mr. Tachibana Masamune?"
In an instant, all the strength seemed to drain out of Herzog. His whole body shrank back into his seat by a couple of centimeters.
"You ought to have been expecting my arrival, I'd imagine?"
Anthony (Prometheus) asked Herzog blandly, idly twirling the flowers and grass on the table between his fingers. As he did this, his tone was relaxed and unhurried.
"I figured it would be soon, but I didn't expect it to be this soon."
Herzog said in a low voice, his hand fumbling under the table, his eyes fixed nervously on Anthony (Prometheus).
But Anthony (Prometheus) merely shot him a sidelong glance.
"There's no need to keep looking."
Then, Anthony (Prometheus) drawled lazily: "If you were counting on the Deadpool pack as an ambush, those things should have already been wiped out by now."
"Oh, that reminds me — I also just took over this building's lockdown functions and systems. I temporarily borrowed Kaguya-hime's administrator credentials, so I hope you don't mind."
Anthony (Prometheus) said with a smile. Herzog was stunned for a moment, then let go of his hands.
He tried to resist. But it was obvious from the very start that Anthony (Prometheus) had never once considered the possibility that he might resist.
To Anthony (Prometheus), that kind of thing had simply never existed.
Herzog couldn't help but feel waves of suffocating pressure wash over him.
"But I don't even know what your purpose is. If you're after the White King's blood, I can hand it over to you with both hands."
He raised his dim, yellowed eyes to Anthony (Prometheus), even as his back arched slightly, like a beast preparing to make one final desperate gamble.
"I do need that thing, indeed — but what does that have to do with you?"
Anthony (Prometheus) let out a sigh, saying: "You've misunderstood, Dr. Herzog. I'll go retrieve the White King's Sacred Remains myself."
"As for you — you're merely incidental. A sacrifice that just so happened to wander into the process of restarting everything. Your existence has nothing whatsoever to do with my plans."
He turned to look at Herzog, and said softly: "You just happen to have been kicked to death along the way, is all."
He gazed down on Herzog from above. And only now, at this moment, did this gentle young man reveal the appearance that Herzog had once glimpsed at the wide-open gates of the Underworld.
He didn't care.
The lofty Hades did not stop along his procession to lower his head for someone like Herzog, who had never been worthy of pity to begin with.
He would deliberately step aside for a beloved ant, or some such creature, and even build a little shelter from the wind and rain for it. But for one as simple as Herzog, who merely stood in his way — he would, without hesitation, trample straight over.
From start to finish, the same as ever.
Herzog let his hands fall limply, and looked at Anthony (Prometheus).
"So you're here to kill me, then?"
Having said this, Herzog couldn't help but laugh. To his mind, that was simply a given.
"Oh, no — that has nothing to do with me."
Anthony (Prometheus) raised his eyebrows, and said: "I had everything already arranged. I was strolling about in Akihabara, planning to execute the plan in a little while."
"But just then, as luck would have it, you came looking for me. So I figured I'd take a moment ahead of the plan to come see you — but, of course, not to kill you."
"Just a sudden whim to come have a look at you, that's all."
He scratched his head and said: "I actually rarely do that kind of cruel thing. Life is so precious — killing someone is such a waste."
At that moment, Herzog's eyes widened, as though he'd seen some kind of glimmer of hope. But then, he caught sight of Anthony (Prometheus)'s smile.
And, from down below, a thunderous roar.
Amid the roar, Herzog heard Anthony (Prometheus) speak, still smiling:
"The one to do that, of course, isn't going to be me."
"You still remember Erii, don't you? You haven't forgotten her, have you? You didn't get to see her resurrection, did you?"
Anthony (Prometheus) said regretfully: "Well then — someone has to pay the price for that, and unfortunately, that someone is you... Don't worry, I won't let you die."
"But sometimes, death is so, so much more comfortable than life."
Anthony (Prometheus) said softly, and amid the smile, delivered his final ultimatum: "Please wait."
And so, dead silence.
Herzog stared at Anthony (Prometheus) in stunned disbelief, and after a long while, slightly lowered his head.
He didn't know what he was supposed to be waiting for. But when Hades tells you to wait, you'd better actually be waiting.
And the process of waiting for the end is always one that leaves a person feeling restless and uneasy.
The sounds of fighting and the rumbling roar seemed to be drawing nearer and nearer.
As if God were blowing his horn — as if the fate of death and destruction were knocking at the door right downstairs.
Knock knock, knock knock knock.
Listen — the bells of your own death have begun to toll.
Push the door open. Your hour has come. The gates of the Underworld stand wide open, for you.
Finally, in the face of that closing destruction, Herzog could endure it no longer. He snapped his head up, opened his mouth — only to come to a halt right where he was.
The door opened. And in that moment, destruction arrived.
"Uh — am I coming in at a bad time?"
Lu Mingfei, who had just been dragged up to the top floor by the Xiaotian Hound, lifted his head somewhat awkwardly and said something stupid. And then he saw Anthony (Prometheus).
"Huh? Boss?"
Anthony (Prometheus) gave Lu Mingfei a slight nod in acknowledgement. The Xiaotian Hound, meanwhile, after barking a couple of times, leapt straight into Anthony (Prometheus)'s arms.
He gave the Xiaotian Hound's head a ruffle. The Xiaotian Hound was quite well-behaved with him. Anthony (Prometheus) tilted his chin at Lu Mingfei, gesturing for him to make himself at home and not worry about him.
Lu Mingfei, at that moment, glanced off to the side, and saw the familiar figure there. For a brief second, his expression turned slightly grave.
"Herzog?"
He murmured the name softly. For a moment, the emotions that had begun to subside in him just earlier were, unusually for him, dredged back up to the surface.
For this poor sap, you could probably count on one hand the number of times in his entire life he'd ever genuinely been worked up.
But everything Herzog had done to Erii was still vivid and ever-present in Lu Mingfei's mind.
He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but at this point he found he couldn't actually summon up anything fierce to say, and so he gave up on the idea.
Herzog looked at Lu Mingfei, watching him quietly, also not quite knowing what to say.
At that, the inappropriately-timed chime of the Order beeper sounded. Lu Mingfei's expression stiffened. Awkwardly, he fished out the Order beeper, muttering all the while:
"Sorry — let me take a look at the Order first and parse it out."
As he muttered, he flipped through the contents of the Order. Even Herzog couldn't help but feel like he wanted to laugh.
This is the person who's going to kill me?
The one who, in the end, comes to kill me — is this kind of clown?
"Found it."
Lu Mingfei finished reading the Order with the same awkward bearing, then snapped the Order beeper shut. Finally, he gave Herzog a small bow.
[To Lu Mingfei: Kill Herzog.]
This time the Order had no extraneous flourishes — it was extremely concise.
So after Lu Mingfei snapped the Order beeper shut, the black fluid metal in his hand transformed into a simple rapier. He swung it gently toward Herzog.
Herzog watched the scene coldly, a sneer surfacing in his eyes, and lifted his neck, as if presenting himself for execution.
But in the very next moment, his expression underwent a violent change.
Anthony (Prometheus) lifted his head, gave Herzog a glance, then lowered his head again to continue playing with the Xiaotian Hound, his attention fully on the dog.
Yet in that brief glance, he had locked onto Herzog's soul.
In doing so, he forcibly gathered Herzog's soul into a single point, completing the most thorough swap of the Kagemusha's life with the original body's.
Thus, with a smile, he announced the verdict to Herzog.
Your fate ends here.
And so, Lu Mingfei, wearing a faint smile of relief at having completed the Order, swung the rapier down. Herzog roared, but he could not refuse the arrival of this death.
The rapier plunged deep into his artery. Blood sprayed. The soul escaped outward, leaving not a sliver of room for negotiation.
Anthony (Prometheus) raised a hand slightly, solidifying the soul to prevent its dispersal, and without even lifting his head, stuffed every bit of these souls into the bottom of the Stygian Vessel.
The souls at the bottom of the Stygian Vessel: count +1.
And Herzog's corpse, now stripped of all spirit, slumped in despair onto the chair, robbed of every last spark of life and every last chance.
Finally, Anthony (Prometheus) ceased his playful interaction with the Xiaotian Hound and stood up, sparing Lu Mingfei a glance.
"All the Orders done?"
He asked Lu Mingfei in passing. Lu Mingfei hesitated for a moment before nodding.
"I guess... they should all be done."
"Not bad. Keep completing the Orders properly. There'll be a lot more to come."
With that, Anthony (Prometheus) gave a small nod toward Lu Mingfei, and then turned away.
He left Lu Mingfei standing there with what looked like a Tragedy Mask plastered onto his face.
How many more of these janky Orders am I going to have to complete?
[Lord of the Pure White Throne: @We're All Little Monsters, the resurrection on your end is almost ready. Once the last little obstacle before the revival is cleared, it'll be all set.]
[We're All Little Monsters: Thanks. But I don't seem to have anything to repay you with...]
[Lord of the Pure White Throne: No worries, that's not what this is for.]
[Lord of the Pure White Throne: Either way, we're all groupmates. I'll cover the cost of your resurrection from The World's side. Once you're revived, there are a few questions I'll need to ask you.]
Anthony (Prometheus) simply finished firing off that string of messages, then gazed out at this world from afar.
The Dragon Raja world, to Anthony (Prometheus), could only be described with two words: a mess.
Not that it was a particularly cesspit-tier world, or particularly malicious — if you were talking cesspits, Night City was way more rotten than this place.
It was simply a feeling. For Erii in particular, this feeling was even more pronounced.
That child always gave Anthony (Prometheus) the sense that she wasn't really cut out to live a life here.
But this matter would have to be set aside for later. At the moment, things hadn't even gotten off the ground. At the very least, he'd have to wait until Erii was actually resurrected first.
With that thought, Anthony (Prometheus) stood up.
"Boss, are we leaving now?"
Lu Mingfei snapped to and looked at Anthony (Prometheus), asking. Anthony (Prometheus) glanced back, looking him over from head to toe.
"You're welcome to tag along if you want to. I'm heading off now to take care of one last bit of work, and then I'll resurrect Erii."
Immediately, Lu Mingfei got to his feet.
"You're not going back to find Caesar and Chu Zihang?"
Anthony (Prometheus) asked quietly. For a moment, hesitation flickered across Lu Mingfei's face. Reflexively, he lowered his head to look at the Order beeper.
"There's no point looking to the Order for help in a moment like this. Lu Mingfei — even with the Orders, you still need to have your own thoughts."
Anthony (Prometheus) said calmly, his tone leaving no room for argument. After a stretch of silence, Lu Mingfei finally clenched his teeth.
Then, he stepped forward and took his place beside Anthony (Prometheus).
"I'll come with you."
He said decisively, as if he'd made up his mind about something. Anthony (Prometheus) inclined his head slightly, glanced at Lu Mingfei, then tossed him a beacon.
"Stand firm."
He gave a brief warning. The next instant, Lu Mingfei felt the world spin around him.
Phase Teleportation Engine, activating!
...
"Bleugh!"
The very instant the Phase Teleportation touched down, Lu Mingfei was on his hands and knees on the ground, retching.
Anthony (Prometheus) stood on the earth, paying no mind to Lu Mingfei's embarrassing state. He simply looked around, confirming the state of things on this side.
The vicinity of Akai.
"We've arrived. This is the right place."
After a moment, Anthony (Prometheus) gave a slight nod, as though sighing in soft remark.
At the same time, his soul-sense spread out toward the earth deep below — and sensed the existence of the Sacred Remains.
Or rather, at the moment, that was still Yamata-no-Orochi!
A being that, once awakened, would bring catastrophic disaster upon the whole of Tokyo.
But none of that had anything to do with Anthony (Prometheus). He calmly stretched out a hand.
"Boss, what are we doing now?"
"You just come along and play the bit role. When the thing comes out, take some shots at it."
Anthony (Prometheus) said casually to Lu Mingfei, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the Sacred Remains, slowly closing them.
"Then, we wait for Erii's resurrection."
As Anthony (Prometheus) spoke this sentence in his neutral, even tone, Lu Mingfei thought he could hear the roar of a furnace.
Behind Anthony (Prometheus), the Origin Furnace was roaring, savagely forging a soul. Within Akai, it was as if the crisp sound of chains burning through could be heard again and again.
And then, immediately after, came shout after shout, growing more and more distinct.
And so, from the deepest depths of Akai, something awakened. It opened its enormous eyes and let out a hoarse roar.
Lu Mingfei had the sense he'd heard a sound like that before. He instinctively looked up, but didn't see any sign of Lu Mingze appearing.
It seemed that guy wasn't coming after all.
In a haze, that train of thought flickered through Lu Mingfei's mind.
The next moment, Lu Mingfei stopped thinking about Lu Mingze. He just stared in front of him, at whatever it was rising up from within Akai.
Then, came the first ear-splitting roar — the cry of a thing returning to the world between heaven and earth.
Watching the awakened Yamata-no-Orochi, Anthony (Prometheus) was, by contrast, exceptionally calm.
There was no helping it — the thing was something he himself had let out.
He'd used the Origin Furnace to do a bit of light repair work to the structures inside Akai, so he'd very easily managed to draw the Sacred Remains out.
And now that he'd let it out, Anthony (Prometheus) had no reason whatsoever not to deal with it.
With that thought, Anthony (Prometheus) slowly exhaled, crouched down slightly, and gently set the black hound he'd been cradling in his arms onto the ground.
Then, he stood up. With a solemn expression, he faced the Xiaotian Hound. Pointing to the gigantic Yamata-no-Orochi nearby, he gravely addressed the scrawny little doggy:
"Doggy. Go up there and bite it."
____
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