Time seemed to freeze in an instant.

Golden rain poured from the teenage girl's wrist, falling into Huai Shi's mouth.

Between the dark and cruel heavens and earth, that streak of brilliance was like a miracle, dazzling enough to intoxicate the heart. At this moment, as her blood flowed away, a life force comparable to the Philosopher's Stone spilled out from her.

It was a terrifying amount, capable of creating an Artificial Human Legion with just a few grams. Now, with Lily's generous offering, it multiplied tenfold, a hundredfold, a thousandfold, ten thousandfold.

At all costs! Even if it meant adding fuel to the fire, even if it was all in vain, she stubbornly sustained Huai Shi's last thread of life. Like a lone hand, her desperate effort pulled at him, refusing to let him go.

"Please survive."

With tears streaming down her face, Lily managed a pained smile. "Stay. Don't leave me alone, please."

Amidst his stupor and pain, Huai Shi struggled to lift his hand, trying to touch her cheek.

He felt the tears on his fingertips, so cold.

The hand he raised stopped abruptly in mid-air and finally, fell limply to the ground. Only a sound of shattering was heard.

No matter how generously Lily's life force poured forth, no matter how desperately she called out, his hollow eyes held no more spirit. They reflected only the pitch-black sky and the blood-red Sea, mirroring this cruel world. Then, there was only silence.

Lily looked at him blankly, disbelieving, for a long, long time. Her hoarse screams rang out, but there was no response.

Heavy footsteps stopped in front of her, leaving a trail of bloody footprints.

"Is he dead already?" Old Xiao murmured regretfully. He sighed and slowly raised his beastlike fingers towards Lily's face. "I'm sorry, I have to do this... even though it's just a game."

In that instant, the razor-sharp fingers converged and thrust toward the stunned teenage girl.

A piercing Space Break whistle erupted, like a shriek.

Then, suddenly, the shriek stopped, just in front of a crumbling hand.

His wrist was gripped tightly.

By a broken hand, from which numerous fragments had fallen off to reveal silvery-white bones.

It was as if he had violently pushed open the Gate of Hell itself.

From the empty eyes flowed a surge of blood-red light.

"Don't you dare..."

The dead Vampire slowly lifted his head. From amidst the sound of flesh peeling away, the ruined face revealed a grim visage of metallic bone.

Even though he was a soulless husk, driven by the remnants of his obsession, the shattered Vampire rose from the ground again, standing in front of the Chimera.

His hoarse voice, as harsh as roaring metal, pronounced each word to his enemy,

"Don't. Dare. Touch. Her!"

「. . .」

In the midst of his stupor, Huai Shi felt himself plunging into the Abyss again.

Holy light shone from the Sky Dome above, radiating endless majesty and chill indifference, coldly watching his disgraceful state, watching him prostrate himself meekly before the altar.

"This is your final chance, Abraham, and the last mercy of the Holy Spirit."

The aged Bishop looked down at him coldly, Scepter in hand, issuing his final command, "Abraham, kill her, and you may still be redeemed!"

In the silence, there was only Huai Shi's pained groaning.

He breathed laboriously, crawling forward awkwardly, reaching out his trembling hand, as if to grasp the ethereal light and redemption itself.

But in the end, he didn't speak.

"Waste! You disappoint me too much."

The Bishop's face twitched, gradually turning livid. "If you do not repent, then drown in God's wrath alongside that heretic!"

With not a shred of sympathy left, he turned and walked away, leaving Huai Shi behind in the darkness.

But then he felt a hand placed on his shoulder.

A hoarse voice came from behind him, so close!

"Sorry, Father."

Out of nowhere, Huai Shi had risen from the ground. Head bowed, gazing at the nearby neck, he whispered a farewell, "What others won't give me..."

"I prefer to take for myself!"

In that instant, the aged Bishop let out a piercing scream.

The Vampire's fangs had sunk deep into his neck.

No matter how much he struggled, pleaded pathetically, or rebuked in anger, not another sound emerged until the end.

In the deathly silence, Huai Shi slowly withdrew his fangs, and the withered corpse fell upon the altar.

Huai Shi looked down at the man's face, marked by fear unto death. He slowly raised his hand, wiping away the last sweet drop of blood from the corner of his mouth, then bent down and took the Scepter from his hand.

"Now, does anyone else have orders for me?"

The young man looked up at the sanctified light in the Sky Dome.

In the silence, no one spoke anymore.

And so, facing the indifferent gaze of the gods, the rebellious Vampire slowly lifted the Scepter in his hand, a satisfied smile on his face, "Isn't it redemption? I've got it now!"

At that moment, the holy light faded away.

The Abyss collapsed.

Huai Shi opened his eyes and saw the iron-black Sky Dome and the endless blood-red Sea. He had returned to this darkened firmament, even though he was now shattered, only a skeleton remaining.

He slowly turned his head, gazing at the astonished teenage girl behind him, and a smile emerged on his fractured face, "I fight for you, my lady!"

BOOM!

The Chimera's tentacles swept across.

Huai Shi was sent flying backward, crashing into the mast and breaking it completely. The shattered sails fell into the burning flames and blazed fiercely.

From within the flames, the shattered Huai Shi climbed up like a clay doll. He looked down at his own horrific state and raised his hand toward Old Xiao, who was slowly approaching.

"Wait a second, let me flip through the book... After I finish, we can continue the fight!"

He waved his hand, drew out the Book of Fate, and clumsily flipped through the records left by the Bishop, searching for entries among the fragmented text.

But Old Xiao gave him no chance at all. Extending his hand, two tentacles flew out from his sleeves, wrapping around Huai Shi's legs, lifting him into the air, and then, suddenly, smashing him onto the deck.

It was as if Old Xiao was wielding a hammer.

All the visible cabins were smashed to pieces. Countless fragments flew in all directions. In the end, amidst the ruins, only a silvery-white skeleton remained.

Threads of golden blood flowed over the silver bones, slowly shimmering with light, as if decorating a steel matrix.

He was still alive?

Old Xiao frowned in displeasure. The two heads on his shoulders suddenly opened their mouths, spouting acid and poison fire, converging into a tide that swept straight towards Huai Shi!

"So it is, then?"

In that instant, the broken skeleton nodded in understanding. He reached out, pulled the solemn Scepter from the Book of Fate, and slowly lifted its sharp end.

He aimed it at his own chest. And thrust it in!

BOOM!

Flames consumed everything.

But then, from within the temperatures terrifying enough to melt steel into liquid, a sacred light ignited from within the Vampire's remains.

In a flash, it became like the sun.

An endless stream of intense light burst forth from Huai Shi's chest cavity, from atop that Scepter.

It was purification!

Huai Shi was... purifying himself!

A sanctity more than a hundred times greater than Holy Water spread cruelly over Huai Shi's shell, inch by inch, killing the Vampire's Dark Basicity and body.

Old Xiao didn't even need to lift a finger; Huai Shi was practically committing suicide!

But within this ruthless purification that left nothing behind, Huai Shi spread his hands with a sense of release, welcoming the arrival of the end.

"Stop your pointless tricks!"

Old Xiao snorted coldly, instantly stirring up a violent wind that howled towards him. He raised his fist and slammed it into Huai Shi's damaged skull.

In that instant, Huai Shi lifted his palm.

Bathed in the divine flames, his finger bones glowed brightly, slowly unfolding to block the front of the bestialized fist.

BOOM!

Storms, tides, loud noises—all came to an abrupt halt in front of that single palm.

Old Xiao looked up in astonishment, hearing the sound of steel grating right above Huai Shi's shattered face.

In that fearsome skull, it was as if seeds of iron were growing, incrementally emerging from the broken cranium, covering the ghastly visage of the skull and transforming into a solemn and stern mask.

Behind the mask, a sudden burst of light ignited within the pitch-black eye sockets.

Huai Shi opened his mouth, screaming, roaring.

His soundless roar took on substance.

The searing light turned into a flood, bursting forth from his eyes and mouth, shooting straight ahead, instantly piercing through Old Xiao's arm, burning the mutated limb to ashes.

The Scepter cracked, inch by inch.

Just as all vampiric parts were incinerated, brilliant radiance flowed from the remaining Silver Skeleton within Huai Shi, spilling over his frame, forming into a brand-new shell.

Within the light, the Powers of countless Holy Spirits interlocked, connected, knitted, and twined around each other, manifesting as tangible radiance flowing over the surviving skeleton—no, the Holy Remains!

In an instant Metamorphosis, a new miracle emerged from the void.

As Huai Shi moved forward, countless golden patterns appeared on the silver mask. Above his head, a pure light broke through the nothingness, intertwining into a ring, suspended high, scattering its fierce and stern radiance in all directions.

When he took the first step, the steel matrix—the Holy Remains of iron that was his body—sang, myriad tiny voices overlapping into a magnificent, holy choir.

When he took the second step, the sound of shattering came from behind him—the noise of old bone splintering and also the clear chime of new miracles being born.

With the sharp sound, sparks scattered, and iron branches grew inch by inch from his back. On these myriad offshoots, light condensed into radiant filaments, forming enormous wings that seemed vast enough to overshadow the sky.

Wings of steel!

As if a Holy Spirit from legend walked between heaven and earth, bringing down Punishment and destruction.

"Heard you've evolved?"

Between the pitch-black Sky Dome and the blood-red Sea, the steel Angel hovered above this cruel world, looking down at the astonished Chimera, a smile forming behind the mask, "What a coincidence, so have I!"

To temper a Soul with a hundredfold of sins, to infuse the miracle of the Holy Spirit into silver, embedding it into the marrow, and to irrigate it with the blood of countless people, nurturing the seed of redemption planted in the depths of the Abyss.

When endless darkness is burned to ashes, light will burst forth from the Abyss.

When original sin is purified, redemption will come.

This is the redemption that Van Essen yearned for but could not obtain, the evolution of the Vampire—

—Authority Angel!

Huai Shi raised his palm towards the burning ship below, forming an invisible grasp. The force of attraction burst forth, steel sang, and the blood-stained silver axe whistled towards him, falling into his hands.

Towards the enraged Chimera.

SLASH!

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