Siegfried was a fascinating man.
He was rebellious. As the heir to the Kaslana family, he had resisted the family's mission of "protecting the world from the Honkai" since childhood, and even ran away from home because of it.
"Protecting" also meant "sacrificing"—sacrificing oneself, sacrificing others; sacrificing everything that could be sacrificed to protect everything that could be protected.
He hated this cold and heavy fate, but ultimately practiced the true meaning of "protection" in his own way.
Compared to the mission Kevin had given to the "Kaslanas," the hot-blooded and foolish Siegfried extremely hated sacrifice. Therefore, he fought desperately to protect his family, friends, and partners, risking everything.
Compared to the grand "saving the world," he wanted to protect his own little world...
This was a very unrealistic, naive ideal, and Otto dismissed it.
In the end, he found that he hadn't protected anything, and ultimately lost everything he wanted to protect—his wife, his child, his simple and warm home.
The successive heavy blows once made Siegfried lose his soul, lose his fighting spirit, like a walking corpse. But another innocent little girl, with her sincerity and stubbornness, finally moved Siegfried again, rekindling his almost extinguished fighting spirit, and once again drawing out the almost extinguished Judgment of Shamash...
And the stronger the fighting spirit, the clearer the consciousness, the more heartbreaking the pain etched in the soul became.
It was precisely because of this that his most painful memories were so wantonly ridiculed and attacked by Lin Wei, making Siegfried even more pained and indignant.
And this constantly reawakened memory, this constantly accumulating pain, finally reached its peak with a piece of news from Lin Wei.
"Kiana... is she really still alive?"
Siegfried asked hurriedly, his mouth dry, his heart pounding,
"Where is she now?"
But Lin Wei just slowly revealed his weapon and sneered,
"Heh, want to know her whereabouts? Sure! Beat me first!"
There was no answer, only provocation.
Siegfried was extremely disappointed, and then all the disappointment turned into surging fuel, pouring into the already uncontrollable rage.
"...You tricked me?!"
Siegfried was so indignant that his reason almost snapped. He raised his flaming greatsword and slashed fiercely at Lin Wei!
"..."
Yuno hesitated for a moment, but still stepped in front of Lin Wei, wanting to block the blow for him.
Yes, just blocking, pure defense, no attack.
She didn't understand what Lin Wei was doing. She just felt that this one-armed man was very sad and pitiful. She didn't want to fight him anymore.
If the person behind her wasn't Lin Wei, she might have even turned her guns around and joined Siegfried in a "two-on-one."
Even so, she wanted a clear explanation from him...
"Yuno, step aside, I don't need you to intervene for now. You'll understand later."
Lin Wei didn't appreciate the girl's kindness and pushed her away, meeting the attack himself.
"Boom!"
Two similar-shaped great swords, one wreathed in red flames and the other in black, collided with a loud bang. Lin Wei groaned and was sent flying.
But this strange folded space was like an invisible soft cushion, gently supporting him, causing no harm.
During the Second Honkai Eruption, Sirin, the Herrscher of the Void, created a spatial cage to trap Siegfried with her power, which she called the "Infinite Corridor."
Similarly, the Second Divine Key also used folded space to conceal itself, remaining undiscovered for thousands of years.
And now, Lin Wei used his "Projected Second Divine Key" to create a similar "arena," allowing him to unleash his full power here without disturbance.
"Don't overestimate yourself!"
Siegfried, his anger intensifying after forcing Lin Wei back with one blow, pressed forward again, shouting,
"Tell me where she is!"
He was a gentle man of steel, but at this moment, he had completely transformed into a furious lion.
Lin Wei's strength was nothing special, yet he dared to despise him so much. He even brazenly used the form and power he had stolen from somewhere, identical to Judgment of Shamash, to provoke him.
Moreover...
How could he tolerate this?
"Heh, if Durandal hadn't healed your injuries, you wouldn't have so much strength to speak to me so loudly."
Lin Wei taunted loudly,
"Schicksal's new generation S-rank Valkyrie, how do you feel? Does she have a bit of Cecilia's charm?"
"Shut up, you're not worthy of mentioning her name!"
Another of Siegfried's sore spots was poked, and he became even more furious, slashing fiercely with his sword.
Although Siegfried was half-crippled, he had just been healed, and his injuries had recovered quite a bit. Even though he had already consumed a lot of energy, this furious lion still put immense pressure on Lin Wei.
"Tch!"
There was no turning back now. Lin Wei gritted his teeth, preparing to further unleash the Judgment of Shamash in his hand, upgrading it to its "Calamity" form to gain more power.
As Lin Wei's thoughts turned, the black flames on the pitch-black great sword surged, then returned to normal...
Pandora rejected Lin Wei's request, even somewhat angrily—Are you trying to kill yourself? That form is not something you can use!
Siegfried's next attack was imminent, and Lin Wei didn't want to be forced back again. He called out in a low voice,
"Sakura, it's up to you!"
As his voice fell, the greatsword in Lin Wei's hand suddenly disappeared. Yae Sakura, who had been waiting for a long time, appeared out of thin air. The pitch-black longsword wreathed in electricity in her hand was suddenly unsheathed, tearing through the flames and thrusting straight at the white-haired man!
Her katana was lost, so Yae Sakura could only choose to use another less suitable longsword as a substitute—the "Projected Third Divine Key, Seven Thunders of Retribution."
"What?"
The sudden appearance of reinforcements startled Siegfried. He quickly retracted his sword to defend, blocking the lightning-fast thrust.
Yae Sakura wasn't known for her strength, so this attack failed to shake Siegfried, who possessed Kaslana blood. But Yae Sakura wasn't annoyed. She twisted her blade and continued to attack from a different angle, her attacks sharp and tricky, forcing Siegfried into a chaotic and awkward position in just a few moves.
Siegfried recognized the long-eared girl in the miko outfit at a glance,
"It's you? The one who ambushed me last time!"
"It's me."
Yae Sakura continued her attack without stopping, a calm smile on her face,
"If Lin Wei hadn't pleaded for you last time, it would have been a different blade that fell upon you."
"Hmph, putting on an act!"
Siegfried said angrily,
"Ambushing from the shadows, what kind of hero are you?"
Yae Sakura tilted her head, her long ears swaying,
"I was never a hero."
"You!"
Siegfried was furious. The flames on his greatsword erupted, and he recklessly swung it at the girl, willing to trade injury for injury.
Yae Sakura just looked at him with some pity, then vanished into thin air just as she had appeared. Siegfried's powerful sword swung through empty air, his center of gravity shifting, almost losing his balance.
"Wha..."
Before Siegfried could express his surprise, Lin Wei seized the opportunity and slashed down from above with the pitch-black Judgment of Shamash. Siegfried hastily responded.
The two swords clashed, this time evenly matched.
"Despicable bastard!"
Siegfried cursed.
"Haha, say whatever you want!"
Lin Wei laughed loudly,
"Siegfried, the burden of Judgment of Shamash isn't small, how many more swings can you manage?"
Judgment of Shamash was like a curse on the Kaslana family. Every time it was unsheathed, it would inevitably lead to the death of the wielder.
Besides Kevin himself, Siegfried was almost the only exception, but it still wouldn't be pleasant.
His "serious injuries," apart from his severed arm, were almost all caused by the backlash of the unsheathed Judgment of Shamash.
"Hahahaha!"
Lin Wei laughed heartily and retreated. Yae Sakura appeared again, taking over the battlefield, her longsword forcing Siegfried into an awkward position.
"What, are you angry?"
After a while, Yae Sakura retreated again. Lin Wei used the same trick, pressing his greatsword against Siegfried, and sneered,
"A few months ago, you were just as furious, attacking me indiscriminately. At that time, I chose to let it go. Now I'm just collecting a little interest!"
With that, the greatsword in Lin Wei's hand dissipated, and a pair of pitch-black, ferocious gauntlets covered his arms. With the Stigmata on his back glowing, his fists slammed into the scorching greatsword.
Concussive force!
With his full strength, the gradually weakening Siegfried couldn't help but sway slightly. He thrust his sword forward and said hatefully,
"Hmph, I was right back then, you're really not a good person!"
"Boom!"
Lin Wei summoned his greatsword to block, retreating several steps, and laughed loudly,
"Of course I'm not a good person, but you, working with Anti-Entropy, what qualifications do you have to yell at me?"
Siegfried attacked with his sword,
"Shut up! Anti-Entropy, they..."
"Boom!"
"What, feeling wronged?"
Lin Wei was forced back again, then pressed forward, sneering,
"Go tell that to the souls of Nagazora City and Manila!"
"Boom!"
"Shut up!"
The two swords clashed. Siegfried's upper body swayed slightly, and the pitch-black greatsword in Lin Wei's hand shattered.
"A bunch of fools, not even realizing they're being used, and you have the nerve to cry foul?"
He raised his hand and summoned a brand new pitch-black greatsword, slashing at Siegfried again,
"Do you know how many people would have died in the Philippines, in Southeast Asia, if I hadn't been there to stop it, if I hadn't been incredibly lucky?"
"Boom!"
The two swords clashed again, this time evenly matched.
"Since you like taking the blame for others so much, then take it!"
Lin Wei said angrily, not letting up, and slashed down again.
"Boom!"
"One after another, all you do is cause me trouble!"
Another heavy slash.
"Boom!"
"Grey Serpent, clinging on relentlessly!"
"Boom!"
"Otto, a lingering ghost!"
"Boom!"
"And you! This bunch of incompetent, good-for-nothing trash! Trash! Trash!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Lin Wei cursed loudly while slashing three times in a row with all his might. The pitch-black greatsword in his hand shattered again, unable to withstand the strain. The Judgment of Shamash in Siegfried's hand was knocked aside, and he finally collapsed, unwillingly falling to the ground.
"Huff... Huff... Huff..."
Lin Wei also panted, exhausted.
After calming his breathing, he looked down at the fallen Siegfried and said indifferently,
"Congratulations, you've finally made me and Otto become complete enemies. I'm afraid it won't end until one of us is dead."
"Too bad, no matter how much I try to avoid it, I still can't escape."
Lin Wei shook his head self-deprecatingly.
A darkly humorous dialogue even appeared in his mind:
"Give me a chance, I want to be a good person."
"Sure, go tell Otto, see if he gives you a chance."
"You're trying to kill me..."
...
What was the use of being patient, kind, even swallowing one's anger?
In the end, he still had to go down this dark path...
Lin Wei bent down slightly, bringing his mouth close to Siegfried's ear, and said with some pity,
"To tell you the truth, you, and Anti-Entropy, are just caught in the crossfire of my game with Otto."
"...You!"
Siegfried was still furious, struggling to get up, but he had no strength left to fight.
"Heh, look at you now, what a mess. No wonder Otto looks down on you."
Lin Wei sneered, straightened up, and said regretfully,
"Too bad, I just want to cause more trouble for Otto, otherwise I wouldn't be so harsh on you."
"What do you... want to do?"
Siegfried asked weakly.
"Oh, nothing."
Lin Wei chuckled and said curiously,
"I'm just thinking, since Otto cares so much about K-423's Herrscher experiment, if you die here, when she finds out... heh."
Lin Wei only said half of it, but it was enough to completely enrage Siegfried.
"You... Don't even think about it!"
The man tremblingly reached for his fallen greatsword, used it to support himself, and struggled to stand up. He fell repeatedly, yet struggled to stand up again and again.
But Siegfried didn't care. He just wanted to stand up, wanted to continue fighting, wanted to destroy the hateful guy's scheme, wanted to protect his distant daughter...
"Heh."
Lin Wei sneered disdainfully, easily pushing him down with one hand, then bent down and took Judgment of Shamash, which Siegfried could no longer hold steady. While toying with it, he said in an extremely disdainful tone,
"In your dying state, what can you do?"
"I can… defeat you!"
Siegfried said with difficulty.
"Really? Then I'll give you a chance."
Lin Wei chuckled, thrust Judgment of Shamash firmly between them, raised his arms slightly, and said condescendingly, like a judge,
"I'm right here. As long as you stand up and defeat me, you can protect everything you want to protect."
Lin Wei sneered,
"So, can you do it?"
"I..."
Looking at Lin Wei's disdainful smile, Siegfried's heart turned cold. After a moment, he suddenly chuckled and said with some detachment,
"Of course I can."
"Oh, really?"
Lin Wei raised an eyebrow,
"I'll wait and see."
Although Siegfried smiled nonchalantly, his heart was extremely heavy.
"If I activate that power again, I'm afraid the best outcome would be mutual destruction, wouldn't it?"
After all, my body can no longer bear such a burden…
If that's the case, Kiana…
Siegfried thought sadly and wistfully,
"Dad may not be able to watch you grow up anymore..."
He was sad, but his heart gradually calmed down.
"Heh, that's fine too, I can go see Cecilia. I just hope she can forgive this incompetent husband..."
Siegfried desperately tapped into the remaining power in his body, gradually feeling his strength returning, then gradually feeling a sense of lightness, even feeling infinitely powerful.
Gradually, he felt an urge to destroy something, and endless killing intent began to fill his heart,
"Kill, kill, kill, kill, kill..."
Yuno, who had been restless, hesitating whether to help Siegfried, watched in shock as he stood up again, exclaiming,
"What's this?"
Two sharp fangs gradually extended from the man's lips, a long beastly horn grew from his forehead, its tip almost reaching his eye socket. From his severed left shoulder, a long tail grew, swaying constantly, as if injecting a different kind of vigorous life into him.
In a moment, Siegfried had become inhuman, more like a Honkai-infected monster than a human, and a dangerous aura began to emanate from him.
Siegfried's tightly closed eyes suddenly opened. One of his once blue eyes had turned completely black, filled with wild beastliness and cold killing intent.
Siegfried's eyes moved, locking onto Lin Wei not far in front of him, and he pounced on him fiercely, like a beast hunting its prey,
"Roar!"
Yuno was shocked and rushed towards Lin Wei, but it was already too late.
During their previous clashes and battles, the distance between them had grown farther and farther away from her. Yuno hesitated for a moment, and didn't follow.
After all, Lin Wei had been really excessive just now, and she really couldn't stand it. She was afraid that if she got too close, she wouldn't be able to resist giving Lin Wei a good beating...
But now, seeing Lin Wei suddenly in danger, Yuno was anxious and regretful, blaming herself for her previous hesitation.
Seeing Siegfried's drastic transformation, Lin Wei wasn't angry, but delighted. He laughed loudly,
"Ha, good!"
With that, the pitch-black cross he had secretly prepared slammed down, springing open with a clang. Dozens of chains shot out, firmly binding the now-bestial Siegfried, immobilizing him.
"Eh?"
The turn of events was too sudden, and Yuno was stunned for a moment, not reacting in time.
"Yuno, bind him!"
Lin Wei, having succeeded, was still not satisfied, and shouted at the stunned Yuno,
"Use all your strength, don't let him break free!"
"Huh? Yes!"
Yuno snapped out of her daze. Vines erupted from her body, forming a second layer of restraints, tightly binding Siegfried layer upon layer, leaving only his head exposed.
"Hahahaha, well done!"
Lin Wei laughed heartily, then waved his hand, dismissing Judah. All the chains also dispersed, leaving only Yuno's vines restraining Siegfried.
Then, Lin Wei summoned a giant lance, stabbed it towards Siegfried's head, and chuckled,
"Good work, old man, here's a shot, don't die!"
"Roar!"
Siegfried roared and struggled unwillingly.
"..."
Lin Wei's sudden change also caught Yuno off guard.
What is he doing again?
"Phew, good, finally reached this stage."
After treating Siegfried, Lin Wei waved his hand, dismissing the "Projected Abyss flower." He flicked his wrist, took out a black feather, took a deep breath, and muttered to himself,
"Next, Siegfried, don't disappoint me!"
Then, Lin Wei slowly walked up to Siegfried, who was bound like a cocoon and still struggling unwillingly, and gently touched the feather to his forehead. The power of the Key of Consciousness quickly invaded his consciousness, and his struggles gradually subsided.
Lin Wei closed his eyes, searching within Siegfried's sea of consciousness.
After an unknown amount of time, Lin Wei found an erupting "underwater volcano" beneath Siegfried's sea of consciousness.
It was the will of the Stigmata, barely touched by Siegfried, stirring up a storm in his consciousness.
"Found you!"
Lin Wei opened his eyes, connected the power of the feather to the hidden Stigmata consciousness, and shouted,
"Kevin, come out!"