Infinite Journey: Dark Souls

"Hey, Your Highness, are you selling me out like this?"

"Of course! They're going to evacuate! They can't take a lot of weapons and equipment with them! Leaving them here will just cause them to explode! It's better for me to take them all! So I'm going to rescue these children! I'll leave the angels and the like to you!"

Her expressionless face was marred by a pair of dark eyes that seemed to be burning with flames—no, they were already burning with flames. Without even saying goodbye to Yuri, she leaped directly into the factory-lined "Guild".

"Yuriko?"

He looks like an old man, but he's actually just a disheveled military nerd who checks on Homura's whereabouts with Yuri.

"Forget it! Let her take the weapons if she wants them! You guys keep an eye on her, and remember to tie her up when it's time to blow it up."

“I think I should do this kind of work; you guys can’t beat her.”

"No! You go deal with the angel! Hinata! You keep an eye on her!"

"Huh? Why me?"

"We'll detonate it on time once we've confirmed the transfer is complete. If you haven't evacuated by then, just die once. After you respawn, you'll be able to find your way out and bring her out!"

"Isn't this just a suicide mission?"

"If you don't want to die, drag that guy away when you hear the detonation warning."

After saying this, the captain climbed back up to the top passage of "Guild" and began to organize a defense against the angels.

"Don't worry, bro, Xiao Yan won't die there. Just stick close to her, and she'll bring you out safely... I think."

Zhi patted his shoulder and followed Yuri up the stairs without any burden.

Next, Asahina, with a wry smile, and Otonashi, completely oblivious, greeted him in turn and then left.

"Well, at least if I have to die once, there'll be a beautiful girl with me... Ahh! But I still have to die!"

The tragic blue-haired boy also jumped into the rows of factories.

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Are angels really God's messengers?

In the leader's eyes, this was beyond doubt. This silver-haired girl, exhibiting the most typical NPC behavior, had fought them for so long without reincarnating or disappearing, proving she couldn't possibly be a human who had died like them. Besides, that inhuman combat power could only be possessed by a messenger of the gods.

At the entrance to "Guild," amidst the smoke of exploding landmines, the silver figure still walked resolutely forward.

That's why the "Afterlife Front" has always regarded angels as their hypothetical enemy and fought to this day.

Yuri hid behind cover, calculating how many more rounds the ammunition she had hastily brought up could last.

She could never forgive the gods, nor could she forgive the angels who had hindered her. Because, in just 30 minutes, her dream of being a good older sister had slipped through her fingers. Those burglars were the executioners in God's ordained destiny, the ones who would end her life. She hated the murderers who killed her younger siblings, and she hated the gods who had orchestrated it all.

The workers from "Guild," who had been transferred up, carried out another round of grenade suppression, but the angels continued their advance at a steady pace, determined to shut down this place that violated school rules, sheltered a large number of truants, and produced dangerous materials.

She pulled back the bolt of the Dagger V submachine gun, waiting for the angel to approach, and then used her own body to form the last line of defense.

"Commander, that guy over there is fiddling with something that looks dangerous. It could explode if he's not careful and blow this place up. I'd love to meet that 'angel'."

Zhi walked over casually, patted Yuri on the shoulder, pointed to the ridiculously large cannon behind her, and headed straight for the slowly approaching angel.

"Hey, is this guy really planning to fight an angel in close combat?"

"Liangyi-san is amazing, no problem!"

"Who cares? She's got such a big mouth, let her try—hey, you over there, don't fire! Let's see what this lady is capable of."

Ash's abilities are beyond question. Holding onto the scabbard, the weaver slowly transformed into a renowned sword about to be drawn as she stepped forward. Its sharp aura cut through the smoke that filled the passage, and she silently gazed at the angel on the other side.

This renowned sword, still sheathed, cleaved the tense atmosphere on the defensive line in one fell swoop, causing everyone to hold their breath and quietly watch the two figures in the arena approaching resolutely.

【Guard skill】【Hand sonic】【Delay】【Overdrive】

The voice, devoid of any inflection, transformed into a completely mechanical electronic tone. The angel walking towards Zhi was constantly radiating a light of data reconstruction. Under Zhi's pressure, she instinctively activated all the skills that could enhance her close-combat abilities.

"What the hell? The battle hasn't even started yet, and it's already forced out so many of the angel's skills. Is that guy some kind of Asura?"

"However, Ryougi's aura is really terrifying."

The two boys and girls, who died after death, witnessed the battle of ashes for the first time. Even in Zhi's definition, this duel, in which neither side harbored any murderous intent, was merely a friendly exchange.

last step.

The two were about to enter each other's attack range simultaneously. The blades of the famous swords had already been drawn, and their sharp light seemed to be scraping the eyes of all the onlookers.

Step down.

Two figures vanished abruptly from the sight of ordinary people. The next moment, swift Iaijutsu and sonic hand-blade clashed, and the blade light that enveloped them completely.

"Hand Sonic, sonic hand chop?"

"It's just the name of the skill; this hand slash can't actually reach the speed of sound."

"I told you, if it's supersonic, I can't handle it."

The katana danced in her hands, the most basic katana moves—Tangzhu, Nifeng, Kesa-zan, Rei-Kesa-zan, horizontal slash, and diagonal slash—were executed with ease. Supported by the power of her inner fire, she wielded them with dazzling effects, making all the onlookers feel as if an angel, constantly leaving afterimages, was attacking the impenetrable blade light, yet unable to gain an inch.

Instead, the clear clanging of swords continued uninterrupted, and amidst the light curtain created by the swords, the two still had time to chat.

Weaver treated this as a friendly sparring match and held back all her killer moves; as for Angel, it was clear from the first skill name she uttered, "Guard skill," that she was simply making a defensive counterattack.

Perhaps none of the members of the "Afterlife Front" understood as clearly as Zhi at this moment that the girl in front of her never attacked first. All her battles were forced reactions. She never intended to use violence to hurt others, so the blade she wielded was like that of a child wielding a wooden sword, simple and without any killing intent.

Ori was happy to put on a show, a fight scene that looked incredibly intense to others, but no one would actually die.

Does the Nine Intermittent Rebellion against God require killing the angels?

The relocation of "Guild" was proceeding in an orderly manner, but Xiao Yan noticed that none of the workers were moving equipment. Instead, boxes of explosives were being carried out. They skillfully connected the fuses and densely packed them on all the equipment and warehouses. Judging from this, they planned to blow everything up at once.

"Aren't you planning to move the production line and some important finished products?"

Under the dumbfounded gaze of the blue-haired boy Hinata, Homura had just finished ransacking another warehouse, which was piled high with .0.45 ACP bullets, indicating that there was a bullet production line nearby.

"Well... as long as we have the relevant knowledge and skills, we can use the clay to produce anything we need."

"No wonder I didn't see your raw material workshop after visiting so many places. Your technology must be at the level of cutting-edge technology."

"Your shield is truly high-tech! How can it hold so much stuff?!"

"My shield's capacity is illogical, but it's magical."

Xiaoyan casually brushed off the boy who seemed to be keeping watch, then grabbed a handful of bullets and carefully disassembled and inspected them. She found that the bullets, primers, and cartridge cases were no different from real bullets. She rubbed her temples, suddenly worried about what would happen if these things made of clay couldn't be used after she took them out.

But they look like real bullets no matter how you look at them.

She took out her P220, switched to normal mode, inserted a bullet, and successfully fired it.

Well, there's no problem with its adaptability. Hopefully, it won't turn into clods of dirt later, otherwise she'll have to clean it all up.

These points should also be included in the investigation report. If those Ash predecessors really intended to build their own Ash society, this unique technology could provide a considerable amount of productivity.

With this information swirling in her mind, she didn't slow down her raid at all and quickly took over another warehouse.

Suddenly, alarms blared throughout the entire "Guild".

"You two over there! Our bombs are planted and about to detonate! Please evacuate immediately!"

As the alarm sounded, the once bustling factory area turned into a scene of workers flowing out like a receding tide through the various passageways.

"Miss! Let's hurry and go!"

"I asked you, can you restore production to this scale in a short time?"

"How could that be? We don't know how long it took to build this underground factory. After we leave, we can only resume small-scale production."

"I understand. One last question: it's alright if you die here, isn't it?"

"what?"

"I still need to salvage a few more batches of weapons. With your current operational capabilities, you won't be able to keep up with me."

"Hey, you can't escape either."

"Don't worry, I just need to leave a moment before the explosion. You'd better take care of yourself."

As soon as she finished speaking, Homura's figure rushed out at an exaggerated speed in Hinata's field of vision.

She activated her long-unused time acceleration ability and quickly passed through warehouses, following the route she had seen at the entrance.

Her purple SSS uniform stretched into a bright purple line as she sped along, connecting all the paths she had taken, ultimately leading to the communication tower at the center of "Guild".

"That's an incredible speed. Do people in their world all have this level of power?"

He jumped onto the roof of a factory and, through the purple line, confirmed that the girl might actually be able to get out before the explosion. So he stopped being coy and followed the evacuating workers to the nearest evacuation point.

The time for "Guild" to explode is drawing ever closer.

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"Hey, that guy's been fighting with the angel for a long time, hasn't he?"

"Yes, it's a close call."

At the entrance to "Guild," the purple-haired captain, the red-haired newcomer, and the chestnut-haired Ash are still watching the battle between the angels and the Ash.

"Don't you guys feel a bit bored after watching this far?"

"Huh? It was supposed to be a great battle, how could this be..."

Yuri herself had also developed considerable martial arts skills in the afterlife, although she was nowhere near the level of the two monsters in front of her. However, she could still sense that the guy called Ryougi had completely lost his motivation.

The katana was still wielded with impenetrable force, but the previous chilling sword intent had vanished without a trace. She was merely mechanically repeating the slashing motions, attacking the weapon rather than the person. As a result, the swords clashed rapidly in the air, yet neither of them sustained a single injury.

The angel was getting impatient. She really wanted to shut down this illegal stronghold. This person in front of her was too troublesome. She didn't use any attacks that would cause harm, so even though the angel didn't use violence on her own initiative, she couldn't inflict any injuries on her enough to stop her from doing so.

The angel, caught in a dilemma because her own convictions conflicted with her goals, bought the weaver more time.

The alarm began to sound, indicating that the transfer of "Guild" was about to be completed. In the midst of the fierce battle, Zhi even had a moment to turn around and glance at the leader, seemingly wanting her to give instructions.

"Tch, you mysterious and ridiculously strong guys are the most annoying... Hey you over there, this is none of your business, get out of here."

"I'm so sorry, this is really hard to explain to you..."

Ignoring Asahina's eager explanation, Yuri waved at the ridiculously large cannon, signaling the equally imaginative military enthusiasts to evacuate quickly, while she herself stepped out of the bunker.

"Um...aren't we going to evacuate?"

"Ah, I'll go try to take down the angel—you guys go tell Cha, who's in charge here, to detonate it quickly."

"what?"