Pure darkness devoured everything around, as if carrying an odd allure.
Jeanne's face changed. After blocking the strike with her holy sword, she collapsed like a puppet that had lost control and fell hard to the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust.
Struggling to her feet, Jeanne's expression turned strange.
Something's wrong… really wrong…
When facing the girl in front of her—Raynare—her holy sword had shone with radiant light, clearly having a strong suppressive effect on Raynare's power. But in actual combat, she found herself at a disadvantage.
And then—
"My holy sword…"
The radiant holy sword in her hand began to be corrupted—as if it was becoming a demonic sword.
The sacred aura was fading, replaced by a darkness that made her instinctively repulsed.
That darkness climbed from the sword into her hands and began invading her body.
She instinctively let go of the sword, and it was instantly consumed by the shadows. Not just the one in her hand, but all the other holy swords she had summoned before also fell under the same fate.
Seeing this, Raynare's joy grew from deep within her.
Back when she was beside Ren, she had few chances to fight others, so she hadn't explored her full potential. She only had a basic understanding of her dark powers…
Of course, the main reason was that no one around Ren was willing to fight her.
As for Kuroka, she could sense the wretched aura of the Fallen Angel's Heart within Raynare and knew that any battle against her would be extremely unpleasant.
Although Kuroka could easily win, she sensed that the darkness in Raynare had a natural suppressive effect on all living beings—just a mere touch could pollute and cause one to fall.
Kuroka, now stronger, could feel it clearly. Perhaps only Fou and Examon didn't care about this kind of power.
Maybe it was because they were too powerful—they could simply ignore it.
If Raynare fully mastered the Fallen Angel's Heart, she would be no weaker than Kuroka herself.
Fou and Examon simply weren't interested in battling weaklings.
Was there even a point in sparring with someone they could swat down with a single slap?
"What's wrong, descendant of the Saint? Is this all you've got? So much for a hero's bloodline..."
Raynare's face was full of mocking amusement, a glint of delight flashing in her eyes.
Whether it was Mittelt and Kalawarna's imagination or not, they both noticed a flicker of darkness pass through Jeanne's gaze. Soon after, that darkness transformed into anger.
A trace of pity appeared in their eyes. Under normal circumstances, they might have joined Raynare in mocking her.
But now, in their own sorry state, they could only sympathize.
Poor girl… and they had a feeling Raynare wasn't finished taunting.
Sure enough—
A surge of thick darkness welled up from Raynare's hands, forming swords out of the shadows.
Jeanne's eyes widened. If they weren't mistaken, those were the same holy swords she had summoned earlier.
"So these are your holy swords? What, you get them from a bargain bin? The divine aura's so weak—don't tell me that's the best a hero's descendant can wield? Oh right, I forgot. You're just Jeanne d'Arc's descendant—not the saint herself. And come to think of it, wasn't she called a witch before she died? Judging by how easily these swords fall to darkness, maybe you really are the descendant of a witch, not a saint..."
Raynare's tone, combined with her smug expression, pushed the word "mockery" to its limit.
"Don't underestimate me! You lowly fallen angel… how dare you insult my ancestor..."
Under normal circumstances, Jeanne would still be smiling, not easily swayed by emotion.
But now, as if influenced by some force, her fury boiled uncontrollably.
Seeing this, Raynare's smile grew wider.
During their battle, the power of the Fallen Angel's Heart inside her kept calling out—pulling her closer.
It was through this she realized the true nature of that power.
It was darkness that could induce corruption—darkness that could consume even the brightest light.
Even the holiest of saints could be turned.
That was the real power lying dormant in Raynare—the power of a fallen angel.
So of course her sword would be corrupted.
Of course Jeanne's emotions would be thrown into chaos.
If Ren were here to witness this, he'd definitely mutter something like: "With the stuff you all did in the original story, you really think you're worthy of your ancestors? If they weren't buried so deep, they'd claw their way out of their graves just to beat you!"
"Oh? And what if I am insulting them? What are you going to do—hit me?"
Raynare said provocatively, hurling her sword and summoning another cloud of dark energy into her palm.
In that moment, Jeanne summoned another holy sword—but this time…
Even she failed to notice that its sacred aura was nearly gone, replaced by a faint dark mist.
Clearly, she was beginning to be corrupted from within.
The moment she created a new holy sword, her "fallen" nature had already started affecting it.
Seeing this, Raynare was even more delighted.
Just a little more… and Jeanne would completely fall under her influence.
Without hesitation, Raynare shaped the darkness into a blade and slashed at Jeanne.
But suddenly, a space-time fluctuation wiped the smile from her face. A gun blocked her sword.
Feeling the resistance from the weapon, Raynare quickly pulled back.
Standing before her was a man in traditional Chinese garb, with a calm and dignified face. The holy spear in his hand made her shiver with unease.
Noticing the weapon, Raynare's mind turned sharp.
Could it be… that holy spear?
"Jeanne… we've located Ophis. It's time to retreat."
"Cao Cao! Capture this fallen angel! Make her suffer!"
"Huh? What's with you?"
Cao Cao's brow furrowed. Jeanne seemed a bit… off.
But he didn't dwell on it. His attention turned back to Raynare.
The moment he noticed the black aura around her, a powerful sense of danger struck him.
That energy… felt incredibly ominous!
Then again… she was a fallen angel...
"So that's it. A fallen angel using darkness instead of light—very rare… definitely worth capturing for research."
Raising his holy spear, Cao Cao pronounced her fate.
Raynare's brows twitched. She glanced at Cao Cao and Jeanne, her thoughts spinning.
A Sacred Gear user + a hero's descendant was already troublesome. Now another one shows up—possibly the wielder of the legendary True Longinus…
And the name they just mentioned—Ophis—that was someone her master had told her about. This was clearly an organized operation.
Casting a glance at Mittelt and Kalawarna, she frowned.
"Retreat."
With that in mind, Raynare reached for the two women on the ground—but then—
A sudden voice made her freeze in surprise.
"So you're from the Hero Faction of the
Khaos Brigade… I didn't mishear, did I? You wanted to take my adorable pet back for research? Ever heard the saying: 'Even when beating a dog, you need to ask the owner first'? Looks like you're really itching to die."