On the ruined, debris-choked streets of Chernobog—
Chen Mo, who was expecting to enjoy a "clown show," found himself standing face-to-face with W, the very person who had told him to head for the north park. The two of them just stared each other down, wide-eyed.
Behind him, Zoya's suspicious gaze made Chen Mo scratch his cheek in embarrassment.
"You… didn't come to chase us down?"
W, in response, practically exploded on the spot.
"What, is there crap in your brain? Someone says something and you just believe it? Why the hell did you still go south, you idiot?!"
Thinking about the bombs she'd painstakingly buried in Central Park up north, W felt like the clown here.
Especially because the man in the Reunion mask in front of her—now that he'd actually run into her—wasn't even trying to escape. He just stood there staring at her like a dimwit.
"Are you some lovesick moron who's gone crazy over women? You see me and you don't run—what's wrong with you?"
If he didn't run, how was she supposed to enjoy the fun of a chase-and-explode, and wash away the awkwardness he'd just forced on her?
Chen Mo tilted his head and shot back calmly, "Why would I run? So you could use the time we're talking to trigger the bombs you planted all around us?"
"Oh?" W's nasty grin returned instantly. "So you noticed?"
The Sarkaz mercenaries she'd brought with her reacted like seasoned professionals—immediately backing off and sprinting away.
The next second—
Boom!
A thunderous detonation ripped across the sky. Buildings around them collapsed in the blast, dust and choking smoke swallowing the street. W didn't care about allies at all; the moment her trick was exposed, she detonated the bombs without hesitation.
But for Chen Mo and Zoya—standing right in the center, somehow untouched—it didn't do much. The mercenaries, on the other hand, looked like they'd nearly had their souls scared out of their bodies.
It didn't feel like an attack so much as an atrociously malicious joke.
"Huh." W stared at Chen Mo's mask-covered face, then hefted her grenade launcher and leveled it at him. "I thought you were some rich brat with a bunch of followers trying to run out of Chernobog. Turns out you're not that type."
"If you've got that much nerve, want to taste how nasty my big, black brute can be?"
Chen Mo folded his arms and stood tall, utterly confident. Even Zoya behind him felt a wave of relief.
Maybe this mysterious man really was strong—strong enough to take on those Sarkaz mercen—
"Run!"
"Huh? Why—"
"Why? Because if Talulah and Patriot both show up, I can't tank that!"
That blast just now had nearly deafened him. At this point, half the city was probably swarming toward them.
An "American cockroach" like W wasn't scary, sure. And if those two came one at a time, he could probably manage.
But if they came together…
Then he'd better avoid the edge for now. His condition was not great.
Before Zoya could even process what was happening, Chen Mo grabbed her wrist and bolted south at full speed.
He moved so fast it was absurd.
W—who had just been thinking maybe this man actually had some real ability—instantly started seeing red.
"Damn it—!"
Twice.
This was the second time. He'd played her like a fool twice in a row.
W, nose practically crooked with rage, immediately took off after them. Meanwhile, the Sarkaz mercenaries exchanged glances.
"Should we go slack off at the usual spot nearby?"
"Yeah. That crazy woman W won't be back for a while anyway."
…
"Dad—what was that noise just now?"
FrostNova, who had just led the Yeti Squad to crush the Chernobog military police, looked toward the distant blast. The sound felt oddly familiar.
Probably W again, stirring up trouble like always.
FrostNova frowned. Reunion was finally gaining control of the situation in Chernobog—she couldn't let the Sarkaz do whatever they wanted.
"Should I go—"
Before she could finish, Patriot swung his long halberd across her path, blocking her from moving toward the explosion.
Under his daughter's confused look, Patriot stared at the smoke-choked, shattered street ahead.
"Someone… is coming."
Boom!
As if to echo his words, another explosion rang out—closer this time.
Firelight shot into the sky. The sharp, tearing blast made FrostNova instinctively shift into a combat stance.
But then—when she saw two figures burst out of the rolling smoke, with W trailing behind them at a distance—FrostNova froze.
"Is that one of ours? Why are they fighting each other?"
No matter what, the masked one was Reunion. She couldn't let those Sarkaz bully their own.
Biting cold began to gather around FrostNova. Everyone except Patriot wisely backed away.
But—
"No."
A hoarse voice—like an old tape recorder catching and grinding—cut off her casting. Patriot lifted his halberd and hurled it straight at the masked man.
"Old man, what are you doing?!"
Boom!
In FrostNova's shocked shout, the halberd tore through the air with a screeching, violent howl, spearing toward the man racing in from the smoke.
A Wendigo's thrown weapon ripped apart the dry, frigid air, carrying a ferocious wind like a lightning bolt. To everyone watching, it was nothing but a thunderclap that detonated in front of their eyes.
Unmatched. Unstoppable.
An attack powerful enough to shatter a city wall had always ended the same way.
FrostNova could practically see it already: the man exploding into a mist of blood.
Bang!
Thunder roared. The impact shook the world—so violent it shattered every window in the surrounding blocks. Glass fragments rained down like snow.
The casual terror of that single throw was even more horrifying than the bombs W had just carefully set off.
Instead of questioning Patriot's strange action, FrostNova locked her eyes on the heart of the smoke. She also dispelled the originium arts she'd been gathering.
Did it hit?
"Dad, why did you—"
"Silence," Patriot said. "It is not… over."
FrostNova stiffened.
She couldn't imagine Patriot—who had always been invincible—standing on guard like this.
The last time her father had looked this severe was when the Emperor's Guards came for them.
And something else felt wrong.
Why did the air suddenly feel so hot?
Was Talulah here?
"…I was hoping to bluff my way through and let you, Big Daddy Patriot, deal with that giant cockroach."
"But you attacked so decisively. And that damned W really did run off like a roach seeing a person—who knows where she went."
A clear, resigned male voice drifted out of the smoke.
FrostNova's nerves snapped tight. The arts she'd just dismissed surged back around her instantly.
"Who are you? Come out!"
No way.
No way someone could stop her father's strike.
Could those demon-like Emperor's Guards be back again to suppress Reunion?
Whoosh—
A refined, eye-catching jet-black sword swept through the haze in a clean arc, slicing the smoke apart and revealing the two figures who had been hidden in the dust.
Patriot's halberd was buried in the ground beside the man's feet, the crater it left behind terrifyingly deep. The tall man—clearly shaken—shifted a few steps to the side with the Ursus girl beside him, who looked just as rattled.
Ahead stood shield-bearing guards advancing in perfect formation, and behind them loomed a towering, horrific figure with red-lit eyes.
Chen Mo's tail drooped as he stared at the scene, suddenly at a loss.
"I really don't feel like taking an operator entrance exam right now."
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