The instant Chinatsu's consciousness was forcibly dragged back into her inner world, the body of the Heavenly Judgment Herrscher in the outside world suddenly trembled!
Immediately following, a destructive energy, far more primal, violent, and undisguised than before, erupted explosively from her small body, like a fierce beast breaking free of all restraints!
"Boom—!!!"
Dark purple lightning and invisible Spatial Quake shockwaves spread wildly outwards in a ring centered around her!
Remaining construction materials, shattered stone, and dust on the plateau, and even the AST members lying on the ground whose CR-Units were severely damaged and constantly sparking, were violently swept away by this savage blast of air!
For a moment, the scene was utterly chaotic.
"Now! Retrieve Shido!" Aboard the Fraxinus, Kotori seized the brief window of spatial disruption caused by the energy outburst and decisively gave the order!
A precise beam of light instantly enveloped the location of Shido's "remains." The next moment, Shido, along with the school uniform covering him, vanished, safely retrieved to the medical bay of the Fraxinus.
Although they knew Shido could heal himself, leaving him in that environment was simply too risky.
The smoke slowly dissipated, and the spot where Shido had been lying was now empty.
And in the sky, the white figure remained suspended.
But everyone could sense that something... was different.
The previous Chinatsu, even when displaying anger and despair, carried a rational coldness and weight. But the "she" of this moment wore a simple yet cruel smile.
Her golden eyes shimmered with curiosity and excitement, like a child playing with ants, as if the energy outburst that could have crushed a person was merely a casual breath for her.
She tilted her head, looking down at the messy scene below where AST members were scattered, seemingly finding it amusing. Then, she casually raised her hand and lightly tapped her fingertip.
Several Spears of the Void, their edges flashing with dangerous black-purple electric light, instantly materialized beside her, shooting downwards toward the temporarily incapacitated AST members with a shriek that tore through space, like venomous snakes choosing their prey!
If this strike landed, the outcome was obvious!
"Not a chance!"
A fierce shout filled with anger and resolve rang out!
A purple figure flashed like lightning. The massive Sandalphon, carrying tremendous Reiryoku, precisely and swiftly shattered the Spears of the Void in mid-air!
The explosions from the colliding Reiryoku burst into energy fireworks in the sky.
Tohka, holding Sandalphon, stood between the AST members and the "Heavenly Judgment" in the sky.
Her purple eyes stared intently at the white figure in the sky, her chest heaving violently from anger and the previous battle.
She could feel that although the appearance and Reiryoku attributes were identical, this "existence" before her was completely different from the "companion" who had previously shown sadness and Understanding!
The pure malice and cruel disregard for life in those eyes sent a chill down her spine.
"Who... exactly are you?!" Tohka demanded loudly, her voice full of vigilance and confusion. "What did you do to her?!"
... Fraxinus Bridge.
Everyone was stunned by this sudden reversal.
"Rei... Reiryoku waveform comparison! 99.9% match with previously recorded Heavenly Judgment Herrscher data!" the analyst reported, his voice filled with confusion.
"However... the energy output mode is much more savage, lacking the previous restraint and precision. Emotional spectrum analysis... completely chaotic, filled with destruction and... pleasure?"
"Behavior pattern sudden change!" another crew member added. "It instantly switched from previous 'grief' and 'attempted recruitment' to indiscriminate attack tendencies! This..."
Kotori stared intently at the "Chinatsu" with the cruel smile on the screen, gritting her teeth: "Could it be... that this is the true face of the Heavenly Judgment Herrscher? Was everything before—the sadness, the despair, even the seemingly special attention paid to Shido—all a deeper layer of disguise?"
Reine pushed up her glasses, her gaze behind the lenses extremely serious: "No... perhaps there is another possibility. Remember that abnormal emotional value data? If the previous 'Chinatsu' was acting, then this current one... might be her true 'core' after stripping away all pretense? A 'King' purely pursuing destruction and pleasure?"
Kannazuki, who had approached again sometime unknown, looked at the screen and, uncharacteristically, didn't act out, but rather stroked his chin and mused: "Hmm... this feeling is like a different 'personality' is piloting the same body. Do Spirits also have multiple personality settings? This is... wonderful! Full of mysterious and dangerous beauty!"
"Shut up, Kannazuki!" Kotori snapped, but the doubt in her eyes deepened.
The Heavenly Judgment Herrscher before them seemed shrouded in an even deeper mist.
Every face she showed rendered the Fraxinus's previous analysis and preparations useless. And the threat level of the current "her," who radiated pure malice, had clearly risen to an unprecedented degree.
Tohka's interception temporarily stopped her slaughter of the AST, but what would this awakened "King" do next?
The situation was rapidly sliding toward a far more unpredictable direction.
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