"No! This isn't real!"
Carlisle's knees hit the ground heavily, the Flame Sword slipped from his trembling Fingers, its flames flickering erratically. He clutched his head, and through the gaps in his fingers, his blue eyes surged with an unprecedented despair, as if he had witnessed the world's cruelest truth.
"What... what have I done! What is going on..."
His voice was hoarse and inhuman, every word seemingly squeezed from his shattered chest. Cold sweat drenched the back of his knight's armor, and even more terrifying was... something was eroding his consciousness.
Normally, with Carlisle's keen senses, he would have noticed this anomaly. But at this moment, the illusion of his beloved's tragic death had completely shattered his rational defenses.
Not far from the battlefield, Subaru watched this bizarre scene.
She had to go!
But just as her Fingers were about to touch the Flame Sword Blaze's fiery barrier.
Pandora turned her head and looked over.
The Witch's lips parted, and after her mouth moved, the shackles of her Authority arrived. Subaru's knees suddenly buckled as if her bones had been removed, and she fell heavily into the scorched earth. And what made her even more horrified was...
Her legs... she couldn't move them!
What was originally an Authority that only sealed sound had now spread to paralyze her lower body.
Pandora slowly turned around, her eyes quietly fixed on Carlisle, who was kneeling on the ground. Her voice was soft, yet carried an irresistible will.
"It can't be helped..."
She sighed softly.
"You didn't do anything wrong.
"You fought to protect those you deeply love, your actions... are all reflections of love."
Carlisle's knuckles dug deep into his hair, and faint traces of blood seeped through his fingers. His breathing was heavy and ragged, and the surging illusions and self-reproach in his mind almost tore him apart.
'I killed her... with my own hands...' Pandora's voice continued to whisper in his ear.
"But... this was just a misperception."
Her tone carried a strange comfort.
"You need not fear, need not regret, everything is inevitable, it is fate that guided events to become this way."
She leaned down slightly, her pale lips close to his ear, her voice as light as a dream.
"Your love... is not wrong."
Carlisle's pupils trembled violently, and two lines of bloody tears seeped from his blue eyes, rolling down his cheeks. Broken gasps squeezed from his throat, as if even breathing had become torture.
Pandora tilted her head, a hint of confusion flashing in her blue eyes.
"Hmm? Is that still not enough?"
"It's alright, I understand you."
Her voice was so soft it was almost gentle.
"Come, your actions, your feelings, everything about you... I will embrace it all."
As her words fell, a pitch-black box suddenly appeared in the air.
The box slowly opened, and inside, a mass of black substance coiled, writhing like a living thing, emitting a suffocating malice.
Regulus, not far away, glimpsed the object, and her face showed a mix of shock and emotion. But she only bit her lip, ultimately saying nothing.
Pandora gently lifted the box, and the black substance slowly rose like a snake.
"Although it's not quite suitable... this is the only option."
Her gaze fell on Carlisle.
The black substance suddenly shot out, drilling into Carlisle's chest like a living thing.
Carlisle's violent struggles abruptly ceased.
A dark shadow spread from within him, covering his entire body like a viscous liquid. His breathing gradually stabilized, the bloody tears in his eyes dried, replaced by an unfathomable darkness.
Pandora watched him quietly, a faint curve on her lips.
"Welcome, my Archbishop of Sin, the one in charge of [Pride]."
After his aura completely calmed, Carlisle slowly stood up. His face was devoid of expression, his eyes as empty as an abyss. The Flame Sword lay quietly on the ground, its flames gradually extinguishing.
But Carlisle did not spare it a glance.
Pandora's gaze fell on the Flame Sword, "You come from beyond the world... but you have no will of your own."
"Even if you hide immensely powerful strength, you have not the slightest blessing from love."
Subaru's pupils contracted sharply, staring intently at the scene before her.
Carlisle stood quietly beside Pandora, a black shadow coiling around him like a living thing. Those eyes, once clear as sapphires, now held only unfathomable darkness.
No... absolutely not!
Her heart pounded wildly, her throat sealed by an invisible force, unable to utter a sound. But she could feel that if she allowed Carlisle to leave with Pandora now, everything would be irreversible.
There was only one choice left... Her Fingers trembled slightly, and the magic power within her began to slowly gather. Unable to chant spells or mobilize large amounts of magic, she could only, little by little, construct a purple blade made entirely of condensed magic in her palm.
Return by Death... She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and plunged the blade into her own neck without hesitation!
— — — — — —
...Strange?
The expected sharp pain did not come.
She opened her eyes in confusion, finding her hand suspended in mid-air, the tip of the purple blade mere millimeters from her neck, yet it seemed to be frozen by some invisible force, unable to advance another inch.
"Big sister."
A childish voice suddenly echoed in her mind.
She snapped her head up, and the scene before her abruptly changed, all around was an endless expanse of pure white, with no sky, no ground, not even a speck of dust.
And in front of her stood a small boy.
He looked ordinary, with short black hair, a slightly thin body, and dressed in simple cloth clothes. But what was bizarre was that he exuded an extremely contradictory aura, instinctively making people feel fear, yet inexplicably at ease.
Like... a fierce beast smiling at you.
Her throat subtly moved, and her dry lips finally managed to produce a sound.
"You are...?"
The little boy did not answer her question, but merely tilted his head, his dark eyes looking directly at her.
"Do you... want to save that big brother?"
Before she could respond, he continued.
"That big brother cannot unleash the power of that sword right now. He hasn't faced his past yet... the power hidden in his past has not been truly accepted by him."
"If things continue like this, that big brother will encounter something very terrifying."
The little boy's voice carried a certainty beyond his age. His eyes watched her unblinkingly, and a faint flicker of fire danced in the depths of his dark pupils.
Her throat subtly moved. She didn't know who this suddenly appearing child was, but he seemed to know the Flame Sword intimately, even more so than her.
Could he save Carlisle?
Once this thought surfaced, it could no longer be suppressed.
"Can you... save him?"
Her voice was hoarse, with a tremor she hadn't even noticed herself.
"Hmm... I will help him."
He raised his hand, palm upwards, and a faint flame appeared out of nowhere, its flickering core reflected on his youthful face.
"I'm here because a 'big brother who is very good at storytelling' asked me to be."
His tone suddenly became nostalgic, as if recalling some distant promise.
"He entrusted me to that newborn sword, making me witness... everything that big brother did."
The flame in his palm swelled slightly, reflecting her pale face.
"Until that day, he gave the sword to you, big sister."
Her Fingers unconsciously curled.
A big brother who is very good at storytelling? Gave the sword to me?
Wait a minute... does this child have memories?
Before she could sort out her thoughts, the little boy's voice rang out again.
"But... my power alone is still not enough to unleash the sword's power."
His expression suddenly became serious, and the flame in his hand flickered violently.
"Big sister, can you help me?"
He took a step forward, the light of the flame illuminating her eyes.
"I feel your resolve... as long as someone truly trusts him, the newborn power on the sword will activate."
The moment his words fell, the flame in the little boy's hand suddenly expanded, transforming into a leaping, sacred flame. The flame's aura was identical to that of the Flame Sword, yet purer, leaving only the most primitive light and heat.
"Just touch this flame..."
He gently held up the flame, offering it to her.
"Come, let's see if we can temporarily unleash the true power of this sword."
Her breathing hitched slightly.
She didn't completely understand what was happening... but one thing was certain, this little boy was an entity residing within Carlisle's soul, along with his sword. And, he was entrusted by some "big brother who is very good at storytelling."
Since he said he could help Carlisle... her gaze fell on the flame.
Did anything else matter?
She slowly extended her hand, her Fingers touching the pulsating light of the flame.
"Boom!"
The flame instantly wrapped around her arm, yet brought no burning pain. On the contrary, a warm sensation spread from her Fingers throughout her body.
She looked at her arm in surprise, the sacred flame flowed as if alive, yet it did not burn her clothes or skin, nor did it leave even a trace of scorch marks.
The little boy's eyes widened slightly, a hint of surprise on his face.
"It actually worked... Big sister, you truly trust that big brother."
The light of the flame grew brighter and brighter, gradually enveloping her entire being. In the dazzling radiance, the little boy's figure began to become transparent.
"Then next..."
His voice gradually faded into the light.
"Leave it to me."
— — — — — —
In the real world, Pandora was about to turn and leave, her white skirt gently swaying, but she suddenly stopped.
She slowly turned her head, her eyes narrowing slightly.
Subaru was enveloped in blazing sacred flames, which did not come from the Flame Sword on the ground, but erupted from within her, as if responding to her call.
This is...?
Pandora's brow furrowed uncharacteristically; she had not yet understood the phenomenon before her, and the next second
"Roar!!"
A soul-shattering dragon's roar erupted from the flames!
The Flame Sword's blaze suddenly twisted, transforming into a massive blue dragon's claw, its scales shimmering with an eerie blue light, sweeping towards Pandora with the force to tear space apart!
"Wh-"
Pandora's blue pupils contracted slightly, but her reaction was ultimately a moment too slow.
"Rip!!!"
The dragon's claw pierced through her body without resistance, her pure white dress shredding like thin paper under the claw's edge, her body was forcibly torn in two, and before blood could spill, it was vaporized by the intense flames!
The Flame Sword, abandoned on the ground, suddenly trembled violently, the patterns on its blade lighting up one by one, as if hearing some call.
"Clang!"
It suddenly transformed into a streak of flowing fire, shooting towards Carlisle's waist, merging with his original sword. Amidst the surging crimson flames, the ordinary steel sword was completely reshaped, and Flame Sword Blaze took its place, hanging steadily at his side.
In an instant, the black shadow coiling around Carlisle let out a silent shriek under the scorching sacred flames, receding like a tide. In his empty eyes, a point of blue light gradually brightened... This was... chaotic memory fragments flashing back in his mind, but before he could sort them out, the blue dragon's claw's radiance had already roared in, enveloping his entire being!
Carlisle fell heavily to the ground, countless unfamiliar knowledge and memories flooding into his consciousness like a deluge.
A sky-blue giant dragon soared through the skies, its claws tearing through clouds, ancient script shimmering on stone tablets, a figure, handing a sword to him... Blue light gathered in his hand, gradually solidifying, eventually forming a thick tome. On its cover, ancient characters moved like living things.
[ancient dragon]
...
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