"Roar..." The golden figure hesitated, scratched its head, and then carried Fu Lin toward the next afterimage.
[Soldier, "Lady Cocolia, the monsters are flooding in! This place… it's too dangerous."
Cocolia, "…Foolish, insignificant…"
Gentle Silvermane Guard, "…What? My lady, what are you saying?"
Cocolia, "No one can understand… except me. Their ears and eyes are intact, yet they cannot see or hear…" ...]
-------------------------
"Ha~ I say, Brother Stone, how many of these afterimages are left? Once I've seen them all, can I leave?" Fu Lin yawned as he looked at the disappearing afterimage and asked.
"Roar..." The stone man pointed to the final afterimage, then to the flaming spear stuck in the center, let out a low growl, and turned into light, vanishing into thin air.
"I... run?"
"Roar..." Before Fu Lin could take a few steps back, the low growl of the stone man echoed in his ears again.
"Hahaha, just kidding." Fu Lin scratched his head, forcing a fake smile, and walked toward the distant afterimage.
At that moment, Fu Lin's expression was cheerful on the outside, but deep inside he was cursing, powerless to change his fate.
[Bronya: "Mother, I still don't understand..."
Cocolia: "The Rift Corrosion has already spread to the lower levels. If we withdraw all the Silvermane Guards... who will protect those left below?"
Cocolia: "The automaton soldier defenses will ensure their safety. The most critical defensive line is in the upper districts. If we collapse, the underground will fall instantly. We must maintain the line at all costs."
"This is about making choices, Bronya. As a leader, you must have the courage to make decisions..."
"You, me, all of us... we must do so."]
"Is this Big Duck? Why doesn't it feel like a duck at all..." Fu Lin looked at Bronya in the afterimage, but somehow felt her voice lacked Bronya's unique... charm?
"If I pull out this flaming spear, I should be able to leave, right?" Fu Lin stared at the hovering flaming spear. As soon as he grabbed the hilt, a wave of searing flames surged over him.
"This amount of fire is nothing. After all, I am someone who has an immortal body." Fu Lin gripped the spear, expressionless, and pulled it out from the void.
As the flaming spear was withdrawn by Fu Lin, the intense flames transformed into a pillar of light. The Aeon of "Preservation," Qlipoth, wielding a massive hammer, appeared before Fu Lin.
"..." Fu Lin stared at the figure in front of him, a bigger version of the golden figure from before, unsure of what to say. Before he could think further, the scene changed. As the hand of the Engine of Creation approached him, Fu Lin reflexively raised the flaming spear. He breathed a sigh of relief as the hand stopped.
"What's with you? I called you, and you didn't respond. And how did the ice spear turn into this?" Fu Shi landed beside Fu Lin, staring at the flaming spear that had suddenly appeared in his hand.
Fu Lin looked at the spear in his hand and said, "Oh, I ended up in some strange place just now. This flaming spear was stuck there, so I pulled it out."
Recalling Qlipoth's earlier appearance, he muttered internally, "Qlipoth is so stingy. I wanted to grab a few stones from him, but he kicked me out just like that... Look at Nanook..."
"By the way, how long do you plan on holding her?" Fu Shi looked at Cocolia, who was lying in Fu Lin's arms, and asked with a puffed-up expression.
"Aren't you the one who threw her at me? And you hit her so hard—look at that huge bump on the back of her head!" Fu Lin glanced at Cocolia's swollen head and casually tossed her to the ground, looking at Fu Shi in exasperation.
Fu Shi tilted her head and said, "Did I?"
"...No, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have caught Cocolia. Also, are you jealous?" Fu Lin grabbed Fu Shi's cheeks with a meaningful smile and asked.
"Ahem! I forgive you. And no, I'm not jealous—you're overthinking it." Fu Shi's face turned red as she struggled out of Fu Lin's hands.
"Oh, I see. Guess I was just imagining things," Fu Lin scratched his head, feeling embarrassed that he'd fallen for one of the classic three delusions—'Does she like me?'
This might actually be better. Once he dealt with Kiana's situation, at least he wouldn't have to worry about love triangles or drama.
But would he really end up in such a situation?
Snapping out of his thoughts, Fu Lin looked at the unconscious Cocolia on the ground and said, "Ahem! Fu Shi, let's extract the Stellaron from her body now."
"If we extract it directly, Cocolia won't survive," Fu Shi patted her cheeks, walked up to Fu Lin, and reminded him while looking at the unconscious Cocolia.
"Tch, what a hassle. Should I just kill her then?" Fu Lin placed his hand on Cocolia's chest, sensing the Stellaron within her.
"Go ahead. If you can't do it, I'll help you~" Fu Shi crossed her legs, sitting leisurely on her scabbard as she stared at the unconscious Cocolia.
Fu Lin withdrew his hand, awkwardly stood up, and turned around, saying, "Fu Shi... maybe you should do it instead." He hadn't actually killed anyone in the true sense before and found himself unable to do it.
"...Tch."
"Meeting me is the best luck you'll ever have in ten lifetimes. Watch me snatch her from the hands of Death."
Fu Shi pushed Fu Lin aside, clicked her tongue in annoyance, and stared disdainfully at the unconscious Cocolia.