"Miss Tingyun, what do you think of this?" March held up a jade bracelet, inspecting its sheen. Tingyun bent slightly, eyes narrowing with a soft smile as she leaned closer.
"Oh, it's quite pretty, Miss March~" Tingyun replied, her finger tracing the smooth surface of the jade.
The two wandered through the plaza, March picking out garments and trinkets with Tingyun's cheerful recommendations—souvenirs for Dan Heng and Himeko.
By the time March finished, her phone buzzed with a notification.
"Hmm… looks like Mr. Yang wants us back at the dock." She tucked the device away with a sigh.
"Well then, let's go~" Tingyun answered lightly, following alongside her.
When they arrived, Caelus and Welt were already there in quiet discussion.
"Caelus, Mr. Yang—we're here!" March called, waving.
"Hello, Benefactors~" Tingyun chimed, flipping open her fan with a graceful snap.
"March, Miss Tingyun, I presume you've rested enough?" Welt asked, straightening his posture.
Tingyun nodded with a small bow. "Indeed, Benefactor."
Welt's tone hardened. "As Diviner Fu explained, the crucibles must be shut down so the Cloud Knights can advance. I've scouted for the safest route, but…" He hesitated, gaze dropping. "Every path is either blocked by rubble or destroyed."
"So the only option left," Caelus finished for him, "is to cut straight through the enemy."
March rubbed her hands together nervously. "S-straight through? Isn't that basically asking for trouble…?"
"Don't tell me you're scared, March?" Caelus teased, poking her cheek.
"Scared?! Who's scared—you… you trashcan hugger!" March swatted his hand away, cheeks puffing. Tingyun covered her lips, stifling a laugh.
"Enough, both of you," Welt said firmly. "We don't have a choice. Direct assault is our only path." His eyes flicked toward Tingyun. "But… if Mara targets those with long lives and memories, what about you, Miss Tingyun?"
All eyes turned to her. Tingyun tilted her head coyly, lashes fluttering.
"Please, Benefactors, you needn't worry. I've not lived long enough for Mara to weigh me down. My memories are nothing but… bliss, thanks to my darling husband~" Her voice was a melody, her fan hiding the sly curl of her lips.
"If that's the case, then let's go! Free jades, here I come!" Caelus said with mock enthusiasm, marching forward. Welt and March followed close behind.
Tingyun lingered for just a moment longer. Her smile softened—sharpened.
"My~, so someone has actually managed to absorb His blood… Another Emanator, born into this cycle?" Her eyes gleamed as a quiet laugh escaped her lips.
"Miss Tingyun, hurry up! We'll leave you behind if you dawdle!" March's voice carried back.
"Coming~" Tingyun sang back sweetly, licking her lips as she stepped after them.
—---------
At Cloudford, Karl stared into the distance, his body still trembling from that "dream." He exhaled, a thin mist leaving his lips.
"Just what the hell was that, Nanook? And that laughter… it had to be Aha," Karl muttered under his breath. Raising a hand, he sliced the air.
Space itself split apart, revealing a gaping wound in reality. From within, countless eyes stared directly at him.
Karl froze, his breath caught in his throat. The gaze pressed into his soul, suffocating. With a sharp swipe, he sealed the gap shut.
"Terrifying…" he whispered, finally allowing himself to breathe. His gaze drifted back to the horizon.
"Right. I don't even know what day it is anymore, but I have to find Phantylia… and strike her down."
With that vow, he stepped backward, the golden spear flickering into his hand before vanishing again. A breeze stirred, carrying him away—unseen, except by Jingliu, who silently watched Karl bend space itself.
---
By the time Karl reached the Alchemy Commission, the great crucibles that once belched smoke were sealed tight.
"It's close…" he thought, quickening his pace. His eyes skimmed over the corpses of fallen monsters—unworthy of his attention.
The clash of battle rang in his ears. Karl pushed forward, ascending the stairs toward the towering crucibles.
Taking a deep breath, he muttered, "This is it." Glyphs flared overhead, their energy carving the skies as the conflict raged on.
He climbed steadily, undeterred.
"March, cover me!" a man's voice cut through the chaos.
"Coming right up!" March's cheerful yet tense reply followed.
Moments later, silence fell—replaced only by tense conversation.
---
"It's over, Disciples of Sanctus Medicus. Your crimes will no longer be tolerated." Fu Xuan's voice rang cold and sharp, her glare fixed on Dan Shu.
"Crimes…? And what crime is it to seek eternal life?" Dan Shu spat blood, her voice dripping venom. "You call our wish a sin? Typical of a pawn who follows that fool Lan."
Her eyes burned with fanatic fire. "The Ambrosial Arbor will grant us undying bodies! Not you, nor the general, can stop it!"
"The one who gave us the Stellaron promised us…" She paused, inhaling raggedly, before screaming:
"Phantylia! We fulfilled our end of the promise—now act! Kill them so our covenant is complete!"
Her gaze snapped not at her enemies, but at Tingyun.
"Tsk. Just as the climax was about to begin, and you reveal everything now? How pitiful." Tingyun—no, Phantylia—spoke coldly, her playful mask stripped away.
"I loathe offering mortals riddles of Destruction… yet here you are, exposing truths that should have remained hidden." Her lips curved into a smile as she stepped forward.
Dan Shu's eyes widened. "W-what… what are you saying, Phantylia?!"
But Phantylia did not answer. She simply raised a hand, brushing a finger across Dan Shu's forehead.
Greenish-yellow flames erupted, consuming Dan Shu's body and soul.
Her screams tore through the chamber.
"Since you accepted the gift of Abundance…" Phantylia said coldly, turning back with a mad grin, "surely you can endure the blessings of Destruction."
Tingyun collapsed, her body lifeless.
"Tingyun?!" March gasped, rushing forward—only to recoil as a glowing green orb slipped free from Tingyun's body.
"Allow me to introduce myself, benefactors," the voice echoed, cruel and detached. "I am Phantylia, Lord Ravager. I have come to Luofu for a single purpose—its destruction."
"H-huh?! Miss Tingyun is… one of them?!" March stammered, her world shattering.
"March, focus! Do not lose yourself!" Fu Xuan barked, dragging her back from despair. A searing beam of fire roared toward them, slamming against Fu Xuan's barrier.
Steam hissed from her hands as she held the shield.
"Oh my," Phantylia sneered. "To block that… as expected of Diviner Fu."
"Khk—" Fu Xuan's breath came ragged, sweat dripping as the firestorm died.
"Diviner Fu!" March and Welt cried, rushing to her side. Welt's cane glowed with a deep purple-black light, gathering imaginary energy.
Phantylia's laughter twisted through the air. "Shouldn't you be fleeing? Heh…"
Four spheres of green-yellow fire spun into existence, transforming into searing beams aimed directly at Welt.
But before they struck, a golden spear crashed into the ground before him.
The beams split apart, cleaved by the spear's overwhelming aura.
The flames receded, leaving silence in their wake.
"…That's…" Phantylia's eyes widened.
"That's Destruction," she whispered, almost reverent.
March, Fu Xuan, and Caelus stared in disbelief at the spear.
"That's the golden spear that impaled the Mara-Struck—back when we almost caught Kafka!" March cried out, pointing in shock.
Then, footsteps echoed from the stairs. The sound was calm but heavy — each step carried weight, echoing like the toll of judgment.
Karl's voice cut through the silence, sharp and commanding.
"Have you had enough fun playing Tingyun's body, Phantylia?"
That voice made everyone freeze. Even Welt and Fu Xuan turned toward the stairs.
"M-Miss Tingyun's husband!" March exclaimed, startled yet relieved to see him.
At the center of the chamber, the greenish orb that floated above the shattered altar pulsed — once, twice — before a laugh rippled from it, echoing across the marble walls like a haunting melody.
"Oh dear~ well, isn't this my husband?" Phantylia's voice purred, playful yet venomous, reverberating from the orb itself.
Karl stopped a few steps before her. The faint golden radiance flared behind him, and his spear, drawn to his will, zipped through the air and into his hand.
"Do not call me that, abomination," he said coldly, the word abomination cracking through the air like thunder.
The orb pulsed brighter, and Phantylia's laughter grew louder. "Abomination? Hah! How cruel. You certainly didn't say that when I was wearing her skin."
Karl's hand tightened on the spear, but his expression didn't waver. "You talk too much."
"Oh, don't be like that, dear husband~" she teased mockingly, her voice slithering around their minds. "You should've seen the way she screamed when I peeled her memories apart. So sweet, so tender—"
"Enough." Karl's tone dropped low, almost growled,
Welt took a cautious step forward. "Karl, don't let her provoke you. She's trying to—"
"I know." His answer was immediate. "Do not worry about it."
March swallowed hard, watching the greenish orb flicker and shift. "S-she's mocking him on purpose… it's creepy…"
Fu Xuan's eyes narrowed as she read the faint waves emanating from the orb. "She's not just mocking him… she's testing him. His emotions, his resonance… as if she's measuring something."
Phantylia laughed again, louder, deeper — echoing with an unnatural distortion.
"Testing, yes~! Because I want to see! To see what kind of thing could drink 'His' blood and still stand!"
Karl slowly raised his spear. Golden particles began swirling around him like fragments of a dying sun.
"You've seen enough," he said.
The air vibrated. The orb's laughter wavered into a low hiss.
"Oh? Then show me, husband… show me what your 'Destruction' truly means."
Karl's spear pulsed once — and the light around him burst outward like a miniature supernova.
Feeling the intense heat radiating from Karl's spear, Phantylia clicked her tongue in irritation. Her orb-like form pulsed violently before retreating.
"Tch… I'll be seeing you soon, my dear husband," she said with a twisted sweetness that echoed like a fading curse.
And with that, she vanished—leaving behind only the faint residue of her aura and the smell of scorched ether.
Karl remained unmoved. The golden light around his spear dimmed until it was no more, leaving only silence and the faint crackle of dissipating energy. He stood there for a moment, expression unreadable, then turned his gaze toward Tingyun's fallen body.
His steps were slow, deliberate. He knelt beside her and gently lifted her into his arms, pulling her lifeless form onto his lap. For a long moment, he simply stared at her face—calm, peaceful, yet completely still.
Karl's hand trembled slightly as he brushed a strand of her hair aside. Then, he began to caress her head softly, his expression neither broken nor furious—just quiet. Too quiet.
Whether it was grief, guilt, or something deeper, none could tell.
The others stood a few paces away, watching the scene unfold in silence. The sound of crackling crucibles and distant embers filled the void between them.
"Mister Karl…" March's voice broke softly, almost a whisper. Her eyes shimmered as she looked at the man's back—broad, motionless, and yet so heavy with sorrow.
"This…" Fu Xuan murmured, her usual composure faltering. "Who is he?" she asked, her gaze turning toward March.
"He is Mister Karl Krafft," March said quietly, her tone carrying both sadness and respect. "Miss Tingyun's husband."
Fu Xuan's eyes widened slightly, realization dawning. Her lips parted, but no words came. Welt and Caelus simply stood beside her, their eyes thoughtful yet mournful.
Karl didn't speak. He only lowered his head, his hand still gently resting on Tingyun's hair as the dying embers of battle faded around them.