"You are under arrest, beast — for terrorism."
The golden glow flowed across the armor's surface. From where she stood, Nian Bubble stared at the knight cloaked in brilliance. That presence — that aura — surged toward her like a memory brought to life. She stumbled two steps back.
It was too similar.
Unmistakably, terrifyingly similar. The presence…
It was Sui — complete, whole, unbroken.
The moment the knight appeared, the beast in the sky responded with unmistakable alarm. It threw back its head and roared, summoning a colossal sword of burning bronze from the clouds above. Flames licked across the blade's edge — Shape Authority. Power that once belonged to Nian.
But even as the giant sword plummeted from the heavens, Chen Huijie stood still — perfectly calm. The earth itself groaned under the weapon's weight, warping and fracturing in protest. She simply raised a hand.
Woooo—
A strange hum, like resonant metal vibrating through the air.
The bronze sword halted midair.
It stopped.
Motionless. Suspended.
No matter how the beast howled, its control was gone — utterly severed.
"Same kind of power… clashing against itself. Did Officer Chen just rip that guy's Shape control clean away?"
Nian Bubble sat on the ground, her eyes fixed on the radiant knight's back. A strange emotion welled up inside her — something deeply unfamiliar.
Of the twelve proxies who had ever served the Sui-beast, the most generous among them regarded the old monster like a distant older sister or brother. The others feared him. Like Xi — paralyzed by sheer terror.
And yet now… now, looking at that figure wrapped in Sui's power…
Nian Bubble felt safe.
Safe — guarded, protected.
How bizarre. The strength, the aura — identical. But the feeling they gave off couldn't be more different.
This warmth… This security… She hadn't felt it since she was a tiny creature trailing behind her big brother on childhood walks through the market.
Above, Chen Huijie held her ground as the massive sword remained frozen in the sky. Her crimson visor swept across the land — to the twisted creatures born of corruption that now howled alongside the beast. A pulse of formless energy rolled out from her, silent and unseen.
And the corruption responded.
One by one, the twisted beasts faltered… then faded… then vanished into nothing.
Behind her, green light shimmered over Amiya and Talulah, healing the wounds they'd sustained during their desperate defense. Amiya clutched her head as she rose, dazed, supported by Talulah's steady hand.
"Is that…"
"It's Huijie. She did it. She activated the Drive Head… and now, she's inherited Sui's power."
Talulah stared at the golden knight's back, pride warring with unease in her expression.
This kind of strength… came with a cost. This land had never given anything freely. Anyone who reached for more than they could bear — more than their soul could hold — paid a price.
Could Huijie survive it?
"Is that… Officer Chen?"
Ling's voice trembled with something strange and heavy. Her expression tightened. Silently, she pulled out a gourd of wine from somewhere and took a long drink before muttering:
"All things follow fate. And fate answers to no one."
The knight's hand rose — a single gesture.
The massive bronze sword, which had once threatened to split the earth in two… took a step backward.
The beast reeled, its mind registering the danger. The enemy wielded its own power. Its instinct screamed to retaliate — but before it could move, the knight's hand clenched into a fist.
The bronze blade cracked, splintered, then erupted into ash and flame. A dragon of fire coiled from the embers, roaring as it reversed course and surged toward the beast.
A black sea exploded in response — a wave of ink and shadow that swallowed the fire whole.
But golden light surged through the darkness, untamed and undeterred.
Fanged shadows, daggered wisps, creatures birthed of ink and fear — none of them could stop the knight's advance.
Boom!
One punch.
Just one.
Straight to the beast's snout.
The impact echoed across the plains. A shriek of agony rang out through the frozen sky.
Agony turned to rage. The newborn beast, monstrous in power, couldn't comprehend how something so small had struck it. How dare it?
The energy within its core roared awake, burning toward release.
But Chen Huijie was already moving. Twisting through the air, she matched the surge with equal power — a storm of identical nature.
The beast roared in kind — but in its fury, a sound slipped through.
A cry. A human one.
"Xi! Officer Chen! Xi's still inside that thing!"
Nian Bubble shouted from the ground, recognizing the voice — the pain. And in the air, Chen Huijie heard it too. Her visor pulsed with red light as her vision pierced the beast's form.
Its claws came crashing down, wrapped in thunder and air pressure, but her barrier of condensed atmosphere blocked the blow head-on.
Her eyes narrowed.
In her sight: the beast's chest, aglow with pulsing blue light.
"There."
She vanished.
In an instant, she was at the beast's chest.
The creature snarled, mouth flaring with flame and electricity. It fired — a blast that could level mountains. But as Chen Huijie raised her hand, the onslaught froze midair.
The flames unraveled. The lightning fell apart.
They became silk — trailing ribbons of living fire that curved around her fingertips, then flipped direction, binding the beast in loops and coils like some doomed dragon prince about to be skinned alive.
In the time that bought her, she struck.
The blade in her hand flipped, scarlet edge gleaming.
Cloud-Splitter.
One arc, clean and brutal, split the creature's lashing tail straight down the middle.
Her other hand, glowing bright, plunged into the beast's chest — right where the light pulsed blue.
"ROAAAARRRR—!!"
"Got her!"
She felt it — fingers around something solid. A hand. A person.
She pulled.
The beast bellowed in fury. It refused to let her steal from its core.
Its flesh rippled, bones cracking and stretching — birthing a new massive limb from its body, reaching to strike her down.
Her grip tightened. There was no way she'd let go now — not after this much.
She braced to take the hit.
But then — behind her — heat.
And a voice:
"Finish Time! Dragon! Giri Giri Slash!"
A blazing figure surged past her, colliding with the beast's claw. Fire streaked across the sky. Talulah, wielding the Time Blade, stood between her and death.
"Didn't expect you'd actually pull off syncing with that Drive Head," she said, glancing back at Huijie. "Are you okay?"
The concern in her voice wasn't unfounded. That Drive Head contained the strength of a beast. A complete one. Chen Huijie seemed stable now… but could she really withstand all that power?
"I'm fine."
Huijie touched her chest, steady and calm.
"Xi's in there, right? Let's get her out."
Talulah had seen the hand — the tiny, painted blue hand — gripped in Huijie's fist. She'd heard the cry too. It all made sense now.
Without waiting, Huijie yanked.
There was a scream. A furious, guttural cry.
But her hand came free — pulling a fragile body with it.
A girl.
Then — the beast roared again. Fire and destruction falling from above.
Huijie threw up a shield — a massive bronze barrier.
The impact hurled them toward the ground, and Huijie used the force to land, crashing down with Talulah and the unconscious girl cradled in her arms.
"Xi!"
Nian Bubble sprinted to them, tiny paws reaching for her sister.
Xi stirred, barely. Her eyelids fluttered. Her gaze fell on the face holding her.
Chen Huijie.
Her eyes went wide — owl-wide.
Then her breath caught — and she fainted.
"..."
"..."
"A-haha… guess seeing someone wrapped in the complete presence of the old monster gave her a bit of a scare," Nian Bubble chuckled, scratching her head.
Then she turned — looking skyward.
The beast had shrunk.
Stripped of Xi, its core — its center — it was clearly diminished.
"Well. Looks like we've reached the final act, haven't we?"
"Then let's end this — once and for all," Talulah said. "Huijie. Can you still fight?"
"There's still more power in this Drive Head," Chen Huijie replied, her voice steady.
"Amiya? You good?"
Talulah glanced at the red-and-blue Drive Head now in Amiya's hands.
"Thanks to Officer Chen's healing… yeah. I'm ready."
"Then this really is the last battle."
The three knights turned together — eyes locked on the sky.
The weakened beast screamed above them.
And the final fight began.