The greatsword swung upwards, unleashing a torrent of flames. Never before had such ferocious, blazing fire existed in the world; even the meteor seemed like a mere infant's fist enveloped within it.
In that instant, the flames formed a glorious rising sun, so brilliant that even the blizzard vanished without a trace beneath its heat.
So the phrase 'covering heaven and earth' I saw on my phone wasn't an exaggeration after all?
Stelle's jaw dropped. She had never imagined that such a fire could truly exist in this world, so domineering that it could seemingly blanket the entire sky.
The vanishing snow didn't even turn into water droplets or mist.
"What just happened?!"
March 7th was some distance away from Cocolia. So while the others scrambled to avoid the roaring heatwave, wary of being splashed by the flames, she had a clear view of a figure standing before Cocolia, unleashing that inferno.
Who is that?
She stared intently at the white figure standing before Cocolia, questions flooding her mind like a rising tide.
Besides our five-person Cocolia-subjugation team, is there a sixth person here?
No... wait.
Why does this person's profile look so familiar?
Under the blinding light, even March 7th's vision was affected. Yet, she could still make out the figure. The clearer it became, the more she couldn't believe her eyes. After rubbing her eyes vigorously, she stared, wide-eyed, face full of disbelief.
Although the person's hair was white, and they wielded a greatsword burning with crimson flames she had never seen before, judging by the side profile... it was undoubtedly Stelle!
March 7th whipped her head around to look where Stelle had been standing, only to find that the figure who had been forced to retreat earlier due to injuries sustained from charging too recklessly was long gone.
No way! She did say that as part of the 'amnesia group,' we might all have special past abilities, but surely our trio wouldn't get a power-up form on our very first adventure, right?!
"March, who is that?!"
Dan Heng and Seele quickly retreated to March 7th's side with Bronya's help. Bronya soon reached them as well. Dan Heng, though equally confused, appeared much calmer than March 7th. Seele caught her breath for a few moments before joining the others in looking towards March.
The moment this person appeared, the situation had instantly reversed.
March 7th's lips trembled. After a few hesitant moments, she said uncertainly, "Uh... maybe... probably... perhaps... it's Stelle?"
Standing nearby, Stelle instinctively shook her head. Though she knew no one could see her right now, she still refuted March 7th's claim.
She hadn't expected this substitute wasn't just some minor substitute, but a god-tier carry!
If I were really this powerful, Stelle thought, the one invading Herta Space Station wouldn't have been Husks, but probably me.
"Some random person appears out of nowhere and instantly beats back Cocolia, who had us on the verge of tears, and you're telling me that's our companion?!"
Seele hadn't even finished speaking when she saw the white figure swing the greatsword a second time.
The surrounding air temperature rose sharply. Cold air was sucked into the inferno, assimilated, and expelled. There was no more snow here, only air that felt like it was about to ignite and explode.
A single question echoed in everyone's mind:
If the first swing of that weapon completely shattered the meteor, what will the second swing, aimed directly at Cocolia, do?
Jiang Liang tightened his grip on the greatsword. Judgment of Shamash no longer erupted with blazing fire, but the molten gold along the blade's body seemed to reignite, shining ever brighter.
This was his first time wielding Judgment of Shamash. The sensation was peculiar. Although his vision told him the flames could devour everything, holding the sword didn't feel scorching hot, merely warm.
Is Judgment of Shamash, capable of destroying heaven and earth, truly as calm as lukewarm water in my hands?
As Judgment of Shamash poised to strike Cocolia, everyone present suddenly understood.
It's over.
It was all about to end. Just one minute after this person appeared, one minute after they unsheathed this weapon.
This minute would be remembered by everyone here.
"A new world... gathered in hope... A new world... just... just create a new world...!"
Cocolia let out a beast-like roar. Amidst the unintelligible shrieking, she stumbled backward. Judgment of Shamash swept down in a whirlwind of frenzied flames, splitting the Stellaron-fused body asunder.
The Supreme Guardian... once so proud, so radiant. Until she stopped struggling, until she chose to betray everything.
The furious flames roared, shattering the black shell covering Cocolia, forcibly revealing her original form. However, her skin was entirely covered in golden patterns, which began to crack and shatter the instant they were exposed to the air.
"Everything could have been better in the new world! Belobog would be rebuilt! Those I sacrificed would return! Everything could go back to how it was! Why... why does everyone try to stop me?!"
Even now, Cocolia struggled desperately, gathering every ounce of energy the Stellaron could muster within her body, begging only to withstand this single strike.
Although I don't know the full backstory, hearing that word 'sacrificed' makes me think this line should be appropriate.
Amidst Cocolia's despairing cries, Jiang Liang spoke his first words since taking over the body.
"I can't be bothered reasoning with you. You don't deserve to hear it."
Scalding rain fell from the sky. The entire snowfield was no longer pure white, but transformed into stretches of gray.
There was no snow left here.
Cocolia's body, severed in two, struggled to say something more. Jiang Liang, gripping the greatsword with both hands, was about to thrust downwards, but seeing the silver-gray-haired woman (Bronya) rushing towards them with a grief-stricken face, he chose not to deliver the final blow.
He still remembered how this group had been helping each other just moments ago.
Although Jiang Liang was the type to skip all the plot and just enjoy the combat, he figured he should at least show some respect for the client's friend.
[Current Event concluded. Calculating Proxy Reward... Assessing Host's performance in this Proxy Session...
Rating Evaluation: Resolved within one minute. Too fast! Your intervention was pivotal in this battle; your appearance instantly turned the tide.
Proxy Reward for this session: The 12th Divine Key, Jizo Mitama.
Choose to disengage?]
The moment Jiang Liang deactivated Judgment of Shamash, reverting the zero-power-rated molten-gold greatsword back into dual pistols, system pop-ups flooded his vision like ads on certain websites.
Jiang Liang acted swiftly, immediately choosing to claim Jizo Mitama and then disengage.
"It's... it's over just like that?"
Stelle returned to her body. Ignoring Dan Heng and March 7th rushing towards her, she spun around to face Jiang Liang.
"Of course. Did you want—"
Jiang Liang was cut off mid-sentence as Stelle dropped to her knees before him with a thud.
"Proxy! I want to learn 'Shamash Unsheathed' too!"
She looked up, her eyes burning with an intense craving for power.