"This Doctor... he's trouble. He must not be allowed to live!"
The Snake, controlling Talulah from within, felt a tremor of unease as the fireball in her hand shrank slightly. Still, it hurled it at Jay with all the fury it could muster.
Jade Shield!
Just as the fireball was about to hit, Jay raised his arms, and a shimmering, translucent shield burst to life around him.
A warm, unshakable sense of safety filled his chest.
"Doctor! Watch out!"
"Get back!"
"Fall back now!"
Unlike Jay, who was completely at ease, the Rhodes Island operators were in a total panic.
Seeing Talulah's flame racing toward the Doctor, all of them forgot his previous ridiculous antics. Their eyes went wide, their voices frantic.
Doctor! Didn't you just say you weren't planning to die? Then what's this situation supposed to be?!
They had seen how Talulah's fire had melted Nearl's armor and shield like butter. And now Jay, without any protection, was facing the same attack head-on? Wouldn't he just be vaporized instantly?
"Doctor, come back!"
ACE didn't even think. He roared in anger and rushed forward, raising his shield.
But Jay was too far from the team now. There was no way to reach him in time.
Right before everyone's eyes, Jay was swallowed whole by Talulah's roaring flame.
"Doctor!"
Amiya's cry tore through the plaza. Her voice cracked with pain. They had only just reunited after all these years... and now it was ending like this?
But then, as the blaze died down and the smoke cleared...
Everyone froze.
Jay was still standing there, completely unscathed. His black Rhodes Island coat fluttered softly in the heat. Not a single scorch mark.
"Doctor! You're alive?!"
"I knew it! I knew he wouldn't go out so easily!"
"ACE... weren't you the first one to panic and charge forward?"
The Rhodes Island squad didn't fully understand what had happened, but seeing the Doctor unharmed filled them with joy and relief.
"You're... not dead?"
Talulah's voice faltered slightly as she stared at him.
Even if the flames had weakened, they were still powerful enough to incinerate three people instantly. Yet this man stood untouched.
Did he possess some kind of high-level defensive Originium Art?
Her mind drifted to a certain former Reunion member with the codename "Mudrock"... but they had long since left Chernobog due to ideological differences.
"Well well well, Talulah... was that fireball seriously the best you could do?"
Jay casually brushed ash off his coat, putting on a smug grin.
"Are you going easy on me? I knew it. You've already caught feelings."
Jay had noticed the same thing. Compared to the fire tornado earlier that leveled an entire building, this last attack was laughably weak.
"Silence! Shut your mouth!"
Talulah roared, flinging another torrent of flame his way.
And then another. And another.
But none of them broke through the Jade Shield. The glowing barrier cracked slightly at the edges, but held firm.
Jay couldn't help but grin.
This Jade Shield... it was no joke.
Even Talulah's raw firepower couldn't bring it down in one go.
"You... are you... unkillable?"
Talulah paused at last, frustration building in her eyes.
"Kill me? Go ahead, try."
Jay raised both arms confidently, standing in full view.
"I'm not afraid. You know why? Because you're destined to be my wife."
"Sh-shut up! Shameless!"
Talulah more precisely, the Snake controlling her was already gritting its teeth in rage.
It wasn't just the Rhodes Island team who were stunned. Even the Reunion soldiers who had just caught up were staring blankly at their leader and this madman.
"Who the hell is this Doctor? He's pushing our boss to her limit!"
"Why haven't I heard of anyone like this from Rhodes Island before?"
"Don't tell me... our boss really held back because of that confession?"
"Wait wait wait... someone actually confessed to the boss? And lived?"
Talulah shot a glare at her subordinates, silencing them instantly.
But she couldn't tear her eyes away from the man in front of her.
Ever since he made that insane public confession, the Snake inside her had felt something unusual.
Talulah's consciousness, long dormant and buried, was starting to stir.
No... this wasn't just coincidence.
Could it be... this man understood everything?
Could the Doctor have predicted the inner struggle between the Snake's control and Talulah's soul?
Was this absurd act... actually part of a calculated plan?
The Snake narrowed its awareness. Talulah's resistance had grown stronger. Too strong.
This couldn't go on.
"Rhodes Island... I won't forget this."
The Snake ground its teeth silently, then forced Talulah to turn away, her voice cold and distant.
Then, without another word, she began to walk off.
"She's... leaving?"
"She's gone! Doctor, now's our chance to call Scout and retreat!"
The Rhodes Island squad was still confused, but seeing Talulah and her army retreat was enough to make them sigh in relief.
Without Talulah in the way, the path ahead was finally safe.
"Huh? Talulah? You're just leaving?"
Jay called after her with a wide grin.
"I told you already! You're going to be my wife someday!"
Doctor, please! Don't provoke her again!
In the end, the Rhodes Island operators had to drag the grinning lunatic back before he could chase after Talulah again.