The impact of William's purple-fire-clad fist created a shockwave that threw Harold a dozen meters back. His thick Isfellan steel armor now bore a glowing, smoldering handprint indentation. Harold gasped for air, his steam-cooling system roaring loudly as it struggled to stabilize an internal temperature that was nearing its melting point.
"Your technology only delays the inevitable, Brother," William floated low, his feet no longer touching the ground. Around him, the air seemed distorted; every time he moved, faint shadows of a cat and a toad growled in turn.
Caine's Intervention and the Severing Frequency
In the control room, Caine worked with inhuman speed, sweat pouring down his brow. "Anne! William's molecular structure is unstable. Bael isn't just inhabiting his body; he's consuming William's consciousness from the inside! If we don't sever the connection in ten minutes, William will be gone forever, and Bael will manifest permanently in this dimension."
"What do I have to do?" Anne asked, her hands gripping the balcony railing, her silver circuits glowing brighter and brighter.
"I need you to be the conductor for Solomon Protocol Phase Two," Caine shouted through the communicator. "I will inject an inversion frequency through the steam towers, but I need your golden energy to wrap that frequency so it can pierce Bael's shield. You have to jump, Anne. You have to get close to them!"
The Death Knell and the Church's Betrayal
Meanwhile, in the rear lines, Cardinal Malachi saw an opportunity in the chaos. Instead of helping against William, he ordered the Templar forces to target Anne.
"Aim for the witch on the balcony!" Malachi commanded. "If she dies, the beacon for these demons will break, and we can claim that God has punished the heretic!"
A series of holy light spears shot toward Anne. But before they could strike, a shield of scalding steam snapped into existence in front of her. Rainnes stood there, her eyes flashing with a rare, fierce anger.
"Enough!" Rainnes screamed. "You speak of God, but you only care about your thrones! Sister Anne is not our enemy!"
A Leap of Faith
Anne looked at Rainnes for a moment, giving a small nod, then turned her gaze toward Harold, who was struggling to stand below. Without hesitation, Anne leaped from the ten-meter-high balcony.
As she fell, golden energy exploded from her body, forming unstable wings of light. She landed precisely between Harold and William. The ground beneath her feet cracked, venting white steam mingled with a golden shimmer.
"William!" Anne cried out, her voice vibrating with a frequency that momentarily silenced Bael's growls. "Look at me! Remember our promise in the Isfellan mines! You said you would build a world where no one else had to be buried under the ruins!"
William's advance stopped. The human side of his face twitched, shedding a single black tear. "Anne... it hurts... it's so dark in here..."
"Hold him, Harold!" Anne shouted.
Harold, understanding the plan, pushed his armor's engine to its absolute limit. He lunged at his brother, locking William's body with the hydraulic strength of Isfellan steel, allowing Bael's purple flames to sear his skin beneath the armor.
"Now, Caine! Now!"