Mia's scream echoed through the chamber.
— ARTHUR!
And then came the explosion.
A colossal wave of blue and black energy erupted at the moment of impact.
It did not feel like magic.
It did not feel like mana.
It felt like something far older.
The dimensional energy surrounding Arthur collided with the corruption consuming the Zaraqnil, and the clash between the two forces tore through the surroundings in an explosion so violent that the entire chamber cracked apart.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
Alexius was thrown backward.
Mia was hurled against one of the shattered structures.
Ayame vanished into a cloud of dust.
Kidero slid across the fractured floor before managing to stop himself.
Shirō raised his arms to shield his face.
Kazuko could not even react.
Everyone was struck.
Everyone.
Blue light flooded the chamber.
The black energy answered.
The two forces collided again and again while the air vibrated as though reality itself were being crushed between them.
No one could see.
No one could understand.
Only feel.
Feel the pressure.
Feel the power.
Feel that something impossible was happening before them.
And then—
Came the scream.
A scream so loud that it echoed throughout the entire chamber.
The Zaraqnil.
She was screaming.
But it was not a scream of attack.
Nor of victory.
Nor of fury.
It was pain.
Pure pain.
Pain accumulated over so long that it seemed unable to remain contained within her any longer.
The dust still covered everything.
The blue energy still coursed through the surroundings.
And the screaming continued.
Long.
Agonizing.
Desperate.
Alexius managed to lift his head slightly.
His eyes were still trying to adjust.
His vision was blurred.
But he could make out a massive silhouette at the center of the explosion.
The Zaraqnil.
Or what remained of her.
The dark energy wrapped around her body was disappearing.
Not quickly.
But being torn away.
Like roots being ripped from flesh.
Like a disease being forcibly extracted.
Black strands escaped from her in every direction.
Dissolving into the air.
Fading away.
Dying.
And the more the darkness vanished...
The more something else emerged.
A blue energy.
Gentle.
Ancient.
Familiar.
The damaged parts of her body began to reconstruct themselves.
The cracks disappeared.
The wounds closed.
The sections consumed by corruption returned to their original form.
The scream continued.
Until gradually...
It weakened.
Weakened.
Weakened.
Until it stopped.
Silence returned.
Heavy.
Absolute.
The dust slowly settled.
The energies faded.
And then everyone saw.
The gigantic creature was gone.
At the center of the chamber now stood only a single figure.
Tall.
Slender.
Motionless.
Her skin was white.
White as snow beneath moonlight.
Long white hair flowed past her waist, moving gently within the lingering energy that still lingered in the air.
Her red eyes scanned the surroundings.
Deep.
Ancient.
And above them...
Six smaller eyes.
Spider eyes.
Spread across her forehead.
Watching.
Blinking slowly.
Mia froze.
Ayame stood motionless.
Shirō could not hide his astonishment.
Even Alexius remained silent.
That...
That was the Zaraqnil?
The figure slowly placed one hand over her chest.
She breathed.
Like someone emerging from a nightmare.
Then her eyes began searching.
From side to side.
Anxious.
Desperate.
Like someone who had lost something precious.
Or someone.
— Azuri...
Her voice was quiet.
But everyone heard it.
The word crossed the entire chamber.
Alexius frowned.
Kidero tightened his grip on his sword.
A chill ran down Mia's spine.
The Zaraqnil took a step.
Then another.
Her red eyes swept across the rubble.
The walls.
The fractures.
The smoke.
Searching.
— Azuri...
Her voice came again.
More urgent.
— Where are you...?
No one answered.
No one even understood the meaning of that word.
But to her...
It seemed to mean everything.
She continued walking.
— I felt your presence...
Her eyes trembled.
— Even if this is not your form...
Her hand tightened against her chest.
As though trying to convince herself that this was real.
— I would recognize you...
Another step.
And another.
— In any era.
The silence within the chamber grew even heavier.
Because this did not feel like fear.
It did not feel like religious devotion.
It did not feel like obedience.
It felt like recognition.
Recognition of someone who should never have been forgotten.
And then she stopped.
Her red eyes locked onto a specific point.
Everyone followed her gaze.
The wall.
Or rather...
What remained of it.
A huge section of the structure had been destroyed.
Massive stones covered the ground.
Cracks stretched across the entire surface.
And at the center of that destruction...
There was a crater.
Deep.
Violent.
As though someone had been launched into the wall by an unimaginable force.
The Zaraqnil's eyes widened.
And she ran.
Mia felt her heart accelerate.
— Wait!
But the Zaraqnil did not listen.
Or did not care.
She crossed the rubble.
Leaped over broken stone.
Ignored everyone around her.
Until she reached the crater.
Then she stopped.
Everyone watched.
No one dared approach.
For a few seconds, there was only silence.
The Zaraqnil remained kneeling there.
Staring.
And then Mia saw.
Arthur.
He was there.
Pinned among the shattered stones.
His body covered in blood.
His arms filled with cuts.
Parts of his clothes destroyed.
His breathing uneven.
Weak.
Painful.
He was still alive.
But he looked as though he had been crushed.
Relief came first.
Then fear.
Because something was wrong.
Very wrong.
The Zaraqnil slowly extended one hand.
Without touching him.
Only bringing it closer.
As though afraid of hurting him.
— Azuri...
Her voice trembled.
For the first time.
— You truly returned...
Arthur remained motionless.
His eyes closed.
His breathing heavy.
Then...
Something happened.
Black smoke began to emerge.
At first, barely noticeable.
Then more.
And more.
And more.
Dark energy started spreading across his body.
Climbing along his arms.
Across his torn clothes.
Up his neck.
Like black veins spreading beneath his skin.
Mia took a step forward.
— Arthur...?
The Zaraqnil immediately stood.
All six smaller eyes opened at once.
The dark energy intensified.
Faster.
Stronger.
More aggressive.
The stones around them began to vibrate.
The air became heavy.
Suffocating.
And then...
Arthur opened his eyes.
His left eye shone blue.
His right eye glowed red.
And the entire chamber fell into silence.