I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

Nagisa slightly turned to the side, dodging the first wave of attacks beside the pillar, and took the opportunity to glance at the pink-haired girl in a white dress, who looked like a fairy tale princess, walking gracefully down the stairwell.

The moment Nagisa cast her gaze, a hint of disappointment or dissatisfaction flashed in the girl's gradient golden eyes, a look that seemed to say, "They didn't even call me for this."

"Haha☆~ Nagisa, it's not good to always be so stubborn, is it?"

Facing the shadows of the students, Mika walked forward calmly, firing at close range, smashing with the butt of her gun; punching; knee strikes; elbow strikes and other physical attacks... She calmly and skillfully dealt with these shadow attacks, and even turned back to tease Nagisa, whose physical strength was that of a weakling.

Nagisa: "..."

She silently gritted her teeth, her forehead almost bristling with red swastikas.

You are the only one who has no right to say these words.

With a gloomy face and trying her best to maintain a 'ladylike smile', Nagisa followed Mika to the door of the broadcasting room.

She tried to take out her key to open the door, but suddenly found that the lock on the broadcasting room, along with the entire door, was frozen solid, as if it were connected to the surrounding walls.

"Make way, make way... Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures, right?"

Mika flexed her wrists and pushed aside Nagisa, who was standing at the door looking somewhat bewildered. After gesturing briefly, she straightened her hand into a knife shape and forcefully chopped down at the door lock.

'boom--'

The metal door lock made a loud, strained noise, and then the entire door tilted to the side.

Wei Hua was prepared. She grabbed the edge of the door with one hand and twisted it off with a "creak," then casually placed it in the hallway.

"Done!"

After clapping his hands to himself, Wei Hua put his hands on his hips, looking like he thought, "I'm so awesome."

What will Xiaozhu do next?

Nagisa remained silent, not answering Mika's question, and walked into the broadcasting room to quickly calibrate various broadcasting equipment.

After confirming everything was correct, she sat in front of the broadcasting station, watching the campus scene through the broadcast monitor, and spoke with utmost seriousness: "This is the campus broadcast, please confirm reception—"

“I am one of the three main organizers of the tea party, Kirito Nagisa.”

"The extraordinary scene you are witnessing is a critical moment for the very survival of the Holy Trinity."

“I absolutely do not acknowledge the value of this ‘Garden of Eden’ woven from lies and nurtured by despair.”

"Whether for the Phantom Thieves' struggle or for your future... please let your fervent prayers become the source of strength for the rebels."

"Wake up...and then try to 'believe'."

Chapter 41 The Passionate Speech of the Dazhu Cult

Meanwhile, the airport is located near the Trinity campus.

The group preparing to sign the "Eden Treaty" includes Makoto, led by Guinea Pandemonium and with the members of the Disciplinary Committee as supporting characters; the plane carrying Hina and her group has also successfully landed.

As soon as she stepped off the plane, Makoto was stunned by the bizarre scene of the Holy Trinity territory, where "a thousand miles of ice and ten thousand miles of snow" had been eroded by the palace space of Beatrice.

"The climate of Holy Trinity..."

"Is the end of the world coming...?"

The fluffy red-haired girl who was taking care of Ibuki was speechless.

Looking at the towering "World Tree," Iroha thought to herself, "The thing we should be focusing on right now shouldn't be the climate..."

It's clearly that tree... a tree that suddenly grows is more worthy of attention.

"Has the erosion of the 'palace' become this severe...?"

The sudden hushed discussion among the members of the Disciplinary Committee made Iroha's ears twitch.

It seems the members of the Disciplinary Committee know more than we in the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons?

Just as Iroha was about to ask the two disciplinary committee members who were whispering to each other, she suddenly heard her 'boss's' booming instruction: "Next... head to the signing ceremony of the [Eden Treaty] as soon as possible!"

Iroha turned her head and saw Makoto beside her wave her hand and then, maintaining a rather "queen-like" walking posture, choose a direction to walk in without even looking.

Iroha: "...?"

no……

Right now, more important than signing the Eden Treaty is not what the "World Tree" is, why Trinity has become what it is, or...

Why is no one at the airport to greet me?

Didn't she realize that when her group landed, the air traffic control at Trinity didn't react at all?

Moreover, after they landed successfully, no one from the airport, who was supposed to greet them, came to meet them...

Having such a "good boss" makes Iroha feel very tired.

But she had no choice but to listen to her boss.

'Yare yare...'

After letting out a soft sigh, Iroha took the hand of the blonde girl, who was only 1.3 meters tall and was curiously observing the "frozen landscape."

"Ibuki, let's go."

……

To be honest, Makoto's actions are somewhat "incomprehensible".

But on a few occasions, her "intuition" is quite accurate.

Following the group from Pandemonium, Hina, Aya, Iori, and Chinatsu, along with several members of the Disciplinary Committee they brought, soon witnessed a scene that left everyone speechless—

The earth was covered in frost and snow, and the World Tree's canopy was frozen in a deep blue...

Beneath the World Tree, a vast battlefield has been cleared.

On that battlefield, a bloated monster, tens of meters tall and emanating visible black and red smoke, was confronting several Trinity students they didn't recognize, as well as someone they knew very well.

"That is……"

The gaze locked onto the figure at the head, dressed in a long black trench coat, with clusters of eerie blue flames swirling around him. For a moment, the white-haired girl's expression went blank.

Hina's purple eyes trembled slightly: "Sensei...?"

What is the monster that Sensei and the others are confronting?

"Huh? Sensei... and... students of Trinity? By the way, what exactly is that monster...? It's disgusting."

With a furrowed brow, the silver-haired girl with twin ponytails experienced firsthand what it meant to be "shockingly shocking and nauseatingly disheartening."

How could they possibly describe the bloated monster before them?

She looked as if she were adorned with gold and silver, her entire body seemingly made up of countless ornate decorations;

Contrasting with the ornate decorations were the tangled clumps of black thorns and the bloated, writhing mass that emanated from the gaps in the armor, resembling living flesh.

In short, it can be summed up in four words: indescribable.

"That... must be the so-called 'Master of the Hall'?"

Chika adjusted her glasses, appearing relatively calm, but her tone still betrayed her shock: "It seems... a bit too exaggerated. Can ordinary firearms and small strategic weapons really break through the defenses of this kind of monster?"

Yako wanted to say something, but before she could open her mouth, the members of the Disciplinary Committee instantly felt a biting, icy wind.

Accompanying this was the roaring howl of the "bloated monster".

"Isn't it time for this farce to end?"

Beatrice's voice carried a supreme divinity, instantly spreading throughout the entire Holy Trinity region.

"Before this farce ends, 'The Deceiver'...aren't you going to reveal your trump card and unleash your power to 'dispel lies'?"

Beatrice's figure kept flashing through the campus, and as she frantically absorbed the offerings, a gloom of despair was visibly enveloping the entire area.

The biting cold of Fimbulb Winter created a forbidden zone for living beings, greedily sucking the warmth from every living thing; the rising and falling curses, though not chaotic, surged into the eardrums like the buzzing of a swarm of bees.

What was happening before their eyes was utterly absurd and unbelievable to Hina and the rest of the disciplinary committee.

what happened……

Sensei and the others are fighting so that you won't be used as "sacrifices" to have your lives drained!

Why are you all criticizing and hurling insults instead?

"..."

The white-haired girl slowly raised the heavy machine gun in her hand - [Final Act: Destroyer].

She could hardly bear to watch this subtle, absurd scene.

With a cold and stern expression, Hina pointed his gun at those "shadows of Trinity students," preparing to begin the purge.

Just then, she heard the gentle, encouraging voice that had comforted her when she was feeling down and about to be crushed.

The gentle adult voice I used to hear now sounded like it was burning with conviction, so resolute, so melodious.

"Is the farce coming to an end? — Indeed, Beatrice, it's time for the farce to end!"

"Your shameless and wicked deeds should, like your soon-to-be-burned palace, slumber in the decaying dust!"

Hina hesitated slightly before pulling the trigger.

The shadow of the students' condemnation was instantly swept away, and then, Hina seemed to hear a faint, ethereal song being sung by someone she didn't know.

'It's time,'

'We've taken back everything that's rightfully ours—'

'Come and grasp that which is not controlled by others,'

'It can only be controlled by oneself—'

'Truly realistic!'

Iori, Ako, and Chinatsu, who were standing next to Hina, remained silent and did not say anything to express their support such as "Chairman, we're here to help you." Instead, they took direct action.

Iori set up her sniper rifle, while Chinatsu and Ayako, the commander and logistics officer respectively, began to systematically direct the other disciplinary committee members who were traveling with her.

As the disciplinary committee joined the fray, the school's public address system suddenly blared.

"This is the campus broadcast. Please confirm your reception—"

A piercing electrical noise suddenly cut through the air, followed by Nagisa's clear and steady voice, like a spring.

"I am one of the three main organizers of the tea ceremony, Kirito Nagisa."

"The extraordinary scene you are witnessing is a critical moment for the very survival of the Holy Trinity."

"I absolutely do not acknowledge the value of this 'Garden of Eden' woven from lies and nurtured by despair."

"Whether for the Phantom Thieves' struggle or for your future... please let your fervent prayers become the source of strength for the rebels."

After the broadcast ended, the campus seemed to fall silent for a brief moment, with no direct response.

Only the sounds of the Disciplinary Committee members firing their guns, fragmentation grenades, and other light firepower continued to echo across the battlefield.

"Gentlemen...look!"

"The members of the Ghena Academy, whom we have long hated, joined the battle at the first opportunity and became a key asset."

"For our personal future, and for the future of Trinity and the Gerhena region... I, Kirito Nagisa, in my capacity as the chairperson of this tea party, implore you all—wake up!"

"Do not let lies and the illusion of an Eden blind you! That is not your true home!"

As the broadcasts continued, increasingly emotional and "heart-wrenching" words of truth were broadcast one after another, Beatrice's disdainful arrogance once again echoed across the battlefield.

"Ridiculous! What can the expectations of an ant change?"

However, as soon as her voice, filled with sarcasm and disdain, fell silent, the Trinity students, who were "dominated by lies," froze.

Without exception, they all hung their heads, their faces blank and seemingly lost in thought.

The chill of "Fimbourne Winter" that gathered around them gradually awakened them from the bitter cold.

"What...what's wrong with me...?"

"Why am I here? And what is this monster in front of me?"

"Is that...Sensei?"

"In the end what happened……"

Nagisa's words were like ripples cast into a frozen lake by pure flames. As the ice melted, they gradually awakened more and more Trinity students.