Water Alley, a unique and poignant street in the royal capital of Lugnica Kingdom.
It is the street where the lowest class of people in the Lugnica Kingdom's royal capital reside.
A large number of impoverished residents crowded this street, their clothes ragged, their faces etched with the hardships and exhaustion of life.
Men, women, old, and young, the eyes of each person revealed a sense of helplessness towards life.
Simple houses stood one after another, most of them dilapidated, with mottled walls and incomplete roof tiles, as if a strong gust of wind could blow them down.
It formed an incomparably stark contrast with the prosperity of the royal capital's downtown area.
At this moment, a figure with fiery red hair and clear blue eyes was looking around.
This figure wore the uniform of a Royal Knight, with a slender build, a dignified face, and extremely elegant manners, appearing out of place in this dirty and chaotic street.
This person was none other than the contemporary Sword Saint, Reinhardt van Astrea.
Reinhardt stood quietly in Water Alley, his bright and sharp eyes slowly surveying his surroundings.
The residents here were all dressed in worn-out clothes, patch upon patch, the color of the fabric having faded under the erosion of time and dirt.
They also cautiously and curiously craned their necks to look at Reinhardt.
Reinhardt wore a gentle smile on his face, a smile like the warm sun in winter; he gently waved and greeted these residents, his movements elegant and friendly.
However, this friendly gesture startled the residents like frightened deer.
They quickly hid, some darting into the crumbling houses, leaving only a fleeting glimpse of a worn-out corner of clothing, while others directly turned their backs, pressing their bodies down as much as possible, as if they could disappear from Reinhardt's sight that way.
Clearly, these residents did not wish to have any connection with this well-dressed, noble-looking knight.
In their perception, being at the bottom of society, contact with such a high-ranking figure might bring unknown trouble; they had been tormented by life's hardships to the point of losing the courage to face the outside world, only wishing to eke out a living in their impoverished yet peaceful small world.
Reinhardt showed no change in expression, maintaining his benevolent look, as if he would remain calm no matter what happened.
Sighing slightly, Reinhardt shook his head and continued walking forward, observing.
Just then, he heard a cry for help.
By the sound, it was a young girl crying for help.
Reinhardt instinctively frowned; in such a street, a girl's cry for help more or less carried the disgusting implication of coercion.
Many societal scumbags would come here to 'seek pleasure'.
After forcing themselves, they would casually toss a few copper coins, even considering themselves philanthropists.
"Help!"
"Is there anyone who can help me!"
"Help! Is there anyone!"
Felt cried and ran, shouting for help to the surrounding residents.
But no one chose to respond to her.
In fact, upon hearing the cries for help, they would immediately close their doors and windows, of course, if the houses had doors and windows.
Everyone acted as if it was none of their business.
But that was normal.
Seeing this, Felt had no choice but to quicken her pace, hoping to escape Water Alley quickly.
There were no patrol soldiers on this street at all.
No inspector would be willing to go to such a dirty place where people couldn't even pay taxes.
Felt gradually Felt some despair; at this speed, even if she found patrol soldiers later, it would definitely be too late to go back and save Rom.
But suddenly her eyes lit up.
Not far away, a red-haired man in a knight's uniform was rushing over.
"Help! Someone there is trying to kill my grandpa!" Felt's small face turned crimson, and then her running steps became erratic; suddenly, with a stumble, her body uncontrollably lunged towards the ground.
The next instant, her entire body was caught in a warm embrace.
Looking up, Felt saw a face she would never forget in her life.
It was a gently smiling face, with the corners of the mouth slightly upturned, outlining a curve full of kindness and reassurance.
This smile seemed to possess a magic that instantly calmed Felt's panicked heart.
"Don't worry, I'm here."
"I will save you all."
While Felt was stunned, Reinhardt wasted no time; with a gentle sweep of his arm, he scooped Felt up by her waist.
Felt's body left the ground, and she instinctively tried to struggle, but Reinhardt held her steadily.
Immediately after, he sped off in the direction Felt had come from.
The evening wind howled past Felt's ears, making her clothes flap loudly.
... ...
"Emilia-tan, run!" Natsuki Subaru shouted, his hands working non-stop.
Elsa simply dodged all the items Natsuki Subaru threw at her with a simple sidestep.
Then, with a playful look, she turned to Emilia, who was treating You Te, and chuckled, "Miss Silver Hair, you really are popular with men."
"I'm sure your intestines will be popular with me too."
Elsa was not in a hurry to act; instead, she was like a cat playing with a mouse. No one in this warehouse could stop her now.
Killing these people would be as easy as breathing.
The only thing that made Elsa hesitate was how to deal with You Te.
Kill him?
She craved to feel the warmth inside You Te's belly.
But she craved even more to feel warmth together with You Te.
Perhaps in this world, only You Te and she were of the same kind.
Just as Elsa was distracted, Rom grabbed a fallen stool nearby and slammed it hard at her.
Elsa did not dodge, but instead swung her curved knife and directly cut him in half at the waist.
Bloody organs were scattered messily on the floor.
Seeing this scene, and feeling this familiar warmth, a blush colored Elsa's cheeks.
She held her face with one hand, as if in ecstasy.
Upon seeing this, Natsuki Subaru immediately bent over and vomited; it was the first time he had witnessed such a brutal scene, and the strong, pungent smell was terrifying.
You Te stood up at this moment, looking at his scarred left arm. He took a deep breath and stood in front of Emilia and Natsuki Subaru.
He had no strong emotions about the death of the giant old man; what needed to be done now was to protect Emilia and, as much as possible, Natsuki Subaru.
If all else failed, he would use his last trump card, forcibly awakening the divine sword.
You Te took another deep breath, held his breath, concentrated, and prepared for the upcoming battle.
Elsa nodded approvingly: "Very good, I can't feel any outward emotions from you now."
As she was about to make her move, a sharp female voice suddenly rang out from outside the warehouse.
"Rom!!!" Felt's eyes were fixed on the horrifying scene before her. Rom, this person who was so incredibly important to her, was now brutally cut in half.
Time seemed to stand still at that moment, and then, large tears gushed from her eyes, like a breaking dam, streaming down her face, which was filled with terror and sorrow.
Her legs seemed to lose all strength, slowly bending, and then with a "thud," she fell heavily to her knees on the ground.
The sound was particularly heavy in the silent air.
Felt's gaze became blank, as if her soul had been pulled from her body; before her eyes was only Rom's shattered corpse.
Reinhardt frowned as he watched all of this, his gaze finally landing on You Te.
You Te also noticed him at this moment.
He immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
The BUG ceiling has arrived.
Elsa's smile faded; she looked at Reinhardt with a calm expression, at the strongest knight in the kingdom.
"That... can you help me kill her?" At this moment, Felt, kneeling on the ground, raised her tear-stained, hollow, and despairing face and asked Reinhardt.
"Help me kill her."
"Please, help me kill her."
"Please..."
Hearing this, Reinhardt slowly drew the divine sword from his waist, his face showing little emotion, and nodded: "I heard you."
He was serious; this strongest being in the kingdom, and even in this world, was serious.
Reinhardt was rarely that serious.
It wasn't because the opponent was strong; rather, he Felt Elsa was weak, not worthy of him drawing the divine sword.
But.
Killing her was the request of the young girl beside him.
The divine sword's own consciousness initially wanted to refuse, but upon sensing Reinhardt's determination, it acquiesced.
At the same time, the surrounding space seemed to be stirred by an invisible force.
The originally calm and free-floating magical elements, now as if summoned by some powerful call, began to rapidly converge towards Reinhardt's location.
They were like rushing rivers flowing into the sea, or countless shimmering stars attracted by a black hole.
These magical elements were colorful: there were water elements emitting a faint blue light, like nimble spirits, leaping and weaving; there were hot and dazzling fire elements, like burning meteors streaking across space; there were also heavy and stable earth elements, like giant rocks rolling forward; and light and agile wind elements howled, swirling everything around them.
The divine sword in Reinhardt's hand, sensing its master's will and the convergence of the surrounding magical elements, suddenly erupted with terrifying power.
A majestic force, centered on the divine sword, spread outwards like a surging tide.
Along with this burst of power, the divine sword emitted a light bright enough to illuminate all darkness.
This light was like the midday sun, scorching and intense, its dazzling rays piercing through the surrounding shadows, illuminating every corner as if it were daytime.
"Reinhardt van Astrea." Reinhardt softly murmured, and with a casual swing.
The sword light, like a sky-covering veil, slashed towards Elsa.
"Excellent, to have such a powerful opponent." Elsa did not retreat but advanced, like an utter madwoman.
Then, her entire being dissipated within the sword light.
Not only that, the entire warehouse was blown open with a large hole.
Fortunately, the sword light immediately ascended the moment it left the warehouse.
Otherwise, this single sword strike might have split half the royal capital.
With a "boom," the sword light exploded in the sky. In an instant, a dazzling light spread outwards from the explosion point, like a giant firework magnificently blossoming across the firmament.
Everyone else who witnessed this scene was shocked.
You Te's eyelids twitched. Is this the true power of the ceiling?
This is truly the author's favorite son.
Now, the most important thing is, can Elsa truly revive under this terrifying sword light?