Boss's Second Phase

The chain symbolizing death pierced through Nuada's chest, yet there was no blood, no wound.

It locked onto Nuada's very existence, pinning her completely, leaving her immobilized.

The taut, straight chain stretched out like a black-and-red spear.

From the vantage point on the distant reef, it appeared as such.

…

"Control over shadows…a black-red spear…"

Princess Alice muttered to herself.

"Could it be the Queen of the Land of Shadows?"

"A goddess of warfare who receives the souls of fallen gods, the ruler of the shadow realm…"

"The Shadow…"

A pair of eyes as dazzling as roses resurfaced in her mind.

"The Warrior Maid…"

…

"Could it be Lady Scáthach of Celtic myth?"

——

Myths are creations of humankind, rituals that bind gods.

As gods walk the earth, their rebellious forms might be feared, recorded under different names by people in different regions.

Just as Neith, Anat, and Anahita represent the same god in different cultures—or Isis in Egypt and Ishtar in Babylon.

Different myths accumulate, yet they could all refer to the same god, leaving various imprints across the world.

Still…recalling Lady Kurumi Tokisaki's casual self-introduction, Princess Alice found herself puzzled once more.

She'd never heard of any myths regarding this deity.

Could she truly be Lady Scáthach?

Princess Alice noted down all her speculations—these would inform her report to the Council of Sages.

——

The battle continued.

Nuada leaned forward, her chest pinned by the black-red chain, utterly paralyzed.

Her form was covered in a dull, degraded hue, and she struggled, white light seeping along the chain.

But between gods, every second counted.

While Nuada was restrained, Kurumi had already taken her stance.

Arms crossed before her, the long and short flintlock pistols clenched in her hands, the serrated blades radiating a savage, bloody aura.

With a sudden throw—

The blade flew, and Kurumi, grasping the chain's end, swung it in a forceful arc.

The blood-stained blade and golden-red streaks tore through everything before them.

Kurumi showed no mercy; the swing unleashed a brutal assault that enveloped Nuada.

A bloody frenzy unfolded in the air.

The world remained a blank white canvas.

From Erica and Princess Alice's perspective, all they could see was a black-and-red figure hurling what appeared to be a long spear, pinning her adversary mid-air in the blank world.

She swung again, and the empty white scene was painted with a feast of blood.

At last, Kurumi retrieved the blade that had nailed Nuada down, a final spark flashing from the gun barrel.

A burst of fresh blood blossomed like a flower, leaving a final touch of crimson in the white world.

It was a lethal assault—a terrifying spectacle of god-slaying.

…

The empty white color faded from the world, returning everything to normal.

Was Nuada really defeated?

Erica and Princess Alice looked at the white-robed god-king suspended in place, their hearts pounding with uncertainty.

The unusual white robe she wore was already quite revealing, and now it was even more tattered from the blade's strikes. The wide-brimmed hat was nowhere to be seen, leaving Nuada looking utterly defeated.

Life had seemingly left her, her right hand holding the Sword of Victory hanging limply. The cross-bladed divine sword fell into the sea.

The invincible god-king appeared lifeless.

Was it truly over?

Absolutely not!

Kurumi checked her interface…and indeed, no revival option appeared.

Nuada was not dead!

The god-king maiden, who should have lost her vitality, slowly raised her right hand and released a cry of near-painful desperation.

Blood burst from her right arm, scalding godly blood spilling into the ocean.

It seemed as though she'd transferred all her injuries to her right arm.

The entire arm dissolved into streaming blood, staining Nuada's battle robe a deep crimson. She gasped in ragged breaths, her throat emitting a low whimper.

In that instant, she looked as fragile as any mortal girl.

In Celtic mythology, Nuada had lost her right arm while leading the gods into Ireland.

A king must be a warrior, strong and unscathed.

Thus, she lost her position as god-king.

And here, that myth had generated an ability, akin to a lizard shedding its tail. Nuada had used her right arm as the price for revival.

She looked sorrowfully at her now empty right shoulder, her regret unmasked.

Then, Nuada raised an arm that should not exist; enormous, silver-colored mana descended from the shimmering stars above, condensing over her right shoulder, forming a metallic silver arm.

The Severed Silver Arm

In Celtic myth, the god of healing crafted this Silver Arm for Nuada, endowing it with all the power her original arm held, if not more.

The flawless god-king!

The silver-armed war goddess!

Nuada's entire aura transformed; the sky darkened, the ocean ceased its surging, becoming dead and foreboding.

"Fight me," she declared, extending the silver arm to point at Kurumi, gripping at something unseen.

"I will defeat you."

Nuada invoked her words of power and lunged at Kurumi, more fearsome than ever.

"Even without a blade of light, a war god remains a war god."

Victory is not born from strength or righteousness but creates them in its path.

The Sword of Victory was always in her grasp.

Blazing light…the profound sea…fiery intensity…silver stardust…

All merged and twisted into a terrifying long sword, now in Nuada's hand. It was no longer a divine sword but an ominous magic blade.

The sword was nearly ten meters long, brimming with intense mana, capable of cleaving through the tangible and intangible alike.

——

"What's with that mournful, stubborn look…" Kurumi muttered, raising her flintlock high to draw all eyes.

Kurumi was quite contrary by nature and disliked seeing others appear with such a sorrowful, haunted look.

"Let me send you home." Her tone softened, as though offering Nuada a mercy.

"If you can manage it…then by all means, try!" Nuada roared, slashing at Kurumi and keeping a wary eye on her raised right hand.

"Zafkiel!"

Kurumi's alluring voice rang through the air, and Princess Alice silently committed the divine words to memory.

"Zayin—Seventh Bullet."

Kurumi's left hand angled her short pistol down and to the right, a shadowy red energy flooding the barrel from the dial at VII on Zafkiel's clock.

Didn't see that coming, did you?

Her raised right hand was a feint!

"All that exists in this world, created from steel, belongs in my hands!"

Nuada's divine words resounded, and the intricate attributes solidified into a longsword within her grasp, light converging in a devouring aura that spread all around her.

She transformed into light.

Cold…searing heat…

A chaotic wind stirred, and Kurumi felt a chilling intensity against her skin, as if blades were poised right upon it.

That eternal, resolute gaze locked onto her figure.

There was no escape…Kurumi understood this, realizing that not even "Aleph, the First Bullet" could allow her to evade it.

Nuada's sonorous voice wove a spell of words, resonating like hymns, prayers, and solemn praise.

"This sword shall strike true!"

"This sword shall conquer all!"

"This sword shall sever all!"

…

"Oh my, that's quite the terrifying divine sword, isn't it?"

Kurumi's inner eye saw it all.

She saw the first strike cleaving through her "City of Devouring Time" and her "Angel Armament, Third Bullet."

She saw the second blow cutting through her skin, shattering her spirit core, severing Zafkiel.

And she saw the third strike erasing the very existence of Kurumi Tokisaki from this world.

Absolute, overwhelming divine power—the victory-bound sword wielded by this divine incarnation named Nuada.

Swirling waves of mana surged like a fierce storm around the terrifying blade, and Nuada, gritting her teeth, grasped the sword firmly, pouring all her divine strength into it.

In Kurumi's sight, all that remained in the world was the blade slicing directly toward her, growing larger and closer by the second. Her pistol, holding the energy of "Zayin, the Seventh Bullet," hung at her side, as if cowed by the impending doom.

The black-red shadow was sliced apart like torn fabric, and the forceful strike of the sword ripped through her spiritual armor, exposing the girl's flawless, snow-white skin beneath.

In an instant, the blade cleaving through Kurumi's bewitching face was the sword of concept itself.

It seemed that this young girl would perish.

Yet, an anomaly occurred. The sword imbued with absolute words of power slashed down, failing to leave even a trace of a wound as it harmlessly slid past her.

The chilling edge brushed her face, and Kurumi curved her lips into a wickedly bold smile.

Victory had already been stolen!

Kurumi's nearly hypnotic voice sounded.

"Vengeance—"

Nuada, with no room to retreat, twisted her sword from a slash into a thrust, the sword tip pressing against Kurumi's chest. With a surge of strength, she lunged forward.

The nearly ten-meter-long sword unleashed a spiraling storm.

Nuada charged with all her might.

Ding, ding, ding, ding…

The crystalline blade embodying victory's concept fractured inch by inch.

The unbreakable sword shattered like a Rupert's Drop, dispersing into shards.

Her speed reached unparalleled heights, closing the distance to Kurumi almost instantly.

But Nuada's expression was bitter.

The exploding fragments of the blade dispersed, sending crystalline shards stabbing into Nuada's divine body, riddling it with wounds.

Even more despairing was the sight of the girl before her, blossoming like a bewitching flower. Kurumi raised her left hand, holding her pistol against Nuada's forehead.

"—Counterattack!"

…

Bang—

The trigger clicked.

No matter how tightly one grasps something, it cannot defy time.

Just as the invincible barrier faded, the razor-sharp sword fragments tore through Kurumi's skin and spirit armor—but it was too late.

Victory had already been decided.

…

The sky turned black-red, painted chaotically like in Erica's dream, as if smudged by a giant hand.

Dark shadows cloaked Nuada's form, her entire body frozen in place, immobilized.

Kurumi wasted no time, pressing the god-slaying bullets one after another into Nuada's forehead. Blood bloomed like flowers behind Nuada's head, splattering and freezing in mid-air.

Until…the shadow receded like a tidal wave.

The black-red chains shot forward again, the taut line like a spear.

Scalding divine blood dyed Nuada's cheeks, trickling down like tears, soaking her robes.

Nuada gazed at Kurumi calmly, her eyes gradually losing focus.

Though her alluringly wicked aura was unmistakable, Nuada saw a deep loneliness in Kurumi's gaze.

She looked into Kurumi's eyes and glimpsed a dark river, bordered by large, red flowers blooming along its banks.

Flowers without leaves, subtly swaying, each one a symbol of a life Kurumi had taken herself, a representation of her solitude and wandering.

At the end of the river and sea of flowers, black and red merging together, the girl's delicate, flawless back lay submerged, like a tear amidst the field of blood.

——

Gunfire echoed.

"Honestly…"

Nuada laughed, her body slowly beginning to disintegrate, a fate long seen.

"Flowers and peace…such a beautiful world…"

She laughed serenely, and with her last breath, the divine energy spread across the land, and Kurumi saw it…saw countless fresh buds unfold, flowers blanketing the ground.

Then, to Kurumi's astonishment—

Ding—

A familiar sound of loot-dropping, a single spark of light falling from Nuada's dissipating form, and a golden pillar of light shot skyward.

——Item obtained: Severed Silver Arm

Kurumi opened the item's attribute window.

Severed Silver Arm

Power: ???

Attributes: ???

…

Transferable.

——

Excerpt from the Investigation Report on the Arrival of the Heretic God Kurumi Tokisaki in Milan.

Through postal magic, the report was delivered to the headquarters of the Council of Sages in Greenwich, London.

"The chairwoman must be slacking off again," the maid muttered, catching the letter mid-air.

But upon noting the solemn Germanic seal on the envelope, she knew this would likely not be a declaration of another runaway attempt or a bizarre request to rearrange her office.

[Heretic God Kurumi Tokisaki, the sovereign of the Land of Shadows, a deity wielding the power of time.

No mythical records regarding her have been discovered to date.

She is suspected to be related to the Celtic war goddess and ruler of the Land of Shadows, Scáthach.

Based on her combat behavior and divine invocations, there is reason to believe she is connected to the "Eitz Chaim"—the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, a schematic of divine forms. Her divine word "Zafkiel" is the guardian angel of the third sephira. Additional divine words may exist.

During her battle with the rogue Nuada, Kurumi Tokisaki repeatedly utilized powers over shadow and time, ultimately securing victory.

…

Notably, this Heretic God demonstrates amicable relations with humanity, possessing a gentle and approachable temperament. Her goals appear to involve targeting specific Heretic Gods, which may make her more accessible and cooperative than the five current Godslayers.

…

She seems particularly well-disposed toward young girls.]

Watching Kurumi teasing Erica, Princess Alice scribbled this last note on the letter Kurumi had already reviewed herself.

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