"Talulah! What are you trying to do!" Ch'en was the first to shout out.
"My foolish little sister, you are still so naive."
Then, the black smoke transformed into a long ladder, leading straight to the front of Ch'en.
"Talulah, stop this. Don't keep going down the wrong path."
"Stop? No, it's far from enough. Everything has only just begun, my dear sister."
As she spoke, she walked down the long ladder, spreading her arms like an orator.
"This era of contradictions has lasted far too long. Now is a turning point, a turning point to welcome a new era."
She then extended a hand toward Ch'en in an inviting gesture.
"How about it, my own flesh and blood? Do you want to head toward that new era where everyone can be equal and free with me?"
"You aren't Talulah. Who exactly are you!" Amiya, who had been using Arts to probe her, asked directly.
"Hahaha, I am Talulah, of course. Who else could I be?"
"For instance, Duke Kashchey? Or perhaps the Black Snake?"
"..."
Jean's use of the correct answer as an analogy seemed to make Talulah very unhappy, but she did not refute it, nor did she stop her pace.
"It seems you know quite a lot, little one. But what use is that? No one can stop this anymore."
Ch'en, meanwhile, drew Chi Xiao and said to Talulah, "What exactly does this mean? Where is Talulah?"
"What a strange question. Isn't Talulah right in front of you, being pointed at by your sword?"
"You..."
At that moment, several wind blades ambushed Talulah, and simultaneously, Jean pulled Ch'en away.
"Don't get close to her; she might have some ulterior motive."
"Truly noisy."
Talulah raised her hand, and a transparent wave struck toward Jean.
"Sword Draw: Lion's Fang!"
The quick-draw technique split the wave down the middle, sending it past Jean's left and right sides.
Then, a massive explosion rose behind Jean. Without even looking, he knew two large craters had been formed in the back.
"Oh? You have some skill after all."
"Tsk, you aren't bad either, Black Snake. So, what exactly do you want to do?"
"Haven't I already said? To welcome the new era. It's just that there is no place for you there, so exit the stage now."
Next, centered on her body, a massive aura began to spread in all directions. Fortunately, everyone was covered by the shields provided by Amiya and did not suffer mental pollution.
"The Demon King of the Sarkaz? Fate always grants people a trial at the most critical moment."
"You... used the Infected. I will kill you!" Patriot pressed forward with his shield.
"Buldrokastee, you are still the same, so stubborn. How many Infected has that stubbornness of yours killed? Hahaha."
"I won't allow you to use Talulah's body to say such things!"
"Frostnova? So you're still alive. Not that it matters; killing you is merely an after-show. Look at your body—even if you cling to life, how many hours do you have left?"
"Lungmen Profanity" Ch'en, unable to bear it any longer, swung her sword and attacked Talulah.
"Ah, truly my good little sister."
With a'squelch', Talulah thrust her hand through Ch'en's abdomen, gouging out a large chunk of flesh, before kicking Ch'en away.
"Mhm, this is enough."
This gave Jean a fright. He hurriedly used the wind to catch Old Ch'en and check her injuries, while the others immediately moved in to intercept Talulah.
---
At this moment, Ch'en's condition was extremely poor. Though it wasn't easy to see from the outside, her major organs were clearly damaged.
"I told you not to charge in, yet you insisted on throwing your life away." Although he grumbled at her, he still did his best to compensate for the loss of her life force.
However, the direct loss of internal organs was not something that could be healed on the spot. Even the Rhodes Island medical operators who had come to support them shook their heads.
Jean glanced at Frostnova. After a complex and difficult psychological struggle, he eventually gave up on the idea of taking advantage of the situation. Instead, he directly slit his wrist and let his fresh blood drip onto Ch'en's wound.
Within several minutes, the rich life force regenerated the missing organs and even began to heal the surface trauma.
Direct application was naturally more effective than oral ingestion, but Jean could clearly feel that a portion of his blood, saturated with life force, had entered Ch'en's body and merged with it forever.
As for what the result would be, it was entirely unknown.
---
Looking up at the battlefield, Talulah was dealing with the joint attacks of the Reunion Movement and Rhodes Island as if she were playing. She moved with leisurely, unhurried steps.
But this was strange in itself. One had to wonder why a conspirator would do such a thing. At the same time, those flames that ignored material properties and burned everything had not appeared.
Thinking of this, Jean suddenly looked toward the rear and saw those points of light had already begun to land on Chernobog.
"Fall back!"
Hearing Jean's shout, no one hesitated. They retreated decisively. Right at that moment, a rain of light points began to descend from the sky.
Those were all 'Flame Spirits'. These Flame Spirits surrounded Talulah, igniting everything around them as they swirled.
"Hahahahahahahaha..."
Talulah's wild laughter echoed from within the flames.
"Finally, after a thousand years, I have finally waited for this moment. This is the time when the great wish is fulfilled."
Following her words, the black mist released by the giant maw earlier gradually rose, blotting out the sky. Though it wasn't yet noon in Chernobog, it was as dark as the middle of the night.
However, although the sun was obscured, these flames provided light, allowing the people present to see the situation.
At this moment, Talulah's entire body was wreathed in flames, and her aura had completely changed.
If she was a mad conspirator just now, she now seemed like some monster emerging from the abyss.
That posture, completely devoid of human presence, was chilling.
At the same time, the thought 'destroy her, destroy her' surfaced in the hearts of all the Infected, as if something even more terrifying would appear if she weren't killed right now.
Then, the first Guerrilla Fighter moved, swinging his weapon and attacking the current Talulah like he was possessed.
But just before the weapon could touch her body, it completely melted. Even so, he did not stop, attempting to attack with his fists instead.
However, for a mortal body to touch these flames was merely to set oneself on fire.
After only a few seconds, the man was reduced to ashes.
Meanwhile, more Infected were restlessly trying to charge forward and attack. Fear had weakened their spirits, making them even more frenzied.
Seeing things were going wrong, Amiya unleashed her Arts with all her might. "Mass Calm!"
The effect was immediate, causing the scene to turn peaceful in an instant, but the massive consumption of energy also left Amiya extremely weak.
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