The Inner Guards, the pinnacle of Ursus's national power, were truly formidable. Under normal circumstances, five of them could wipe out these hundred-odd veterans without breaking a sweat. However, their strength relied almost entirely on their Dominion.
A Guard's Dominion resulted from merging with the fragments of Collapsals within their bodies—stealing the power of demons to fight demons. Naturally, ordinary troops were defenseless against such a force.
But when facing a truly elite powerhouse...
The five Guards fully unleashed their Dominions. Pitch-black shadows blanketed the snowy path ahead, a surging dark aura seemingly tightening around everyone's throats. The swirling snow vanished instantly, swallowed by the void of the domain.
Xia Yu, however, remained unaffected.
These so-called demons were not invincible. Not if you were strong enough.
She hadn't even called upon the power of the Elden Ring yet, but the torrential fire within her chest could no longer be suppressed. The frenzied flames began to coat her body, a sight that inspired visceral terror.
Xia Yu drew Vyke's War Spear and stepped toward the black Dominion, one pace at a time. Every second, the darkness was scorched and eroded by the flames.
"Those frenzied flames..." The leading Guard unsheathed his weapon, his gaze locked onto Xia Yu. In his demon-tainted vision, that small female figure was a conflagration threatening to burn the world to ashes. "What on earth are you?"
"Reasonably speaking, I was meant to become the Lord of Chaos," Xia Yu replied with a smile, flashing a row of neat white teeth. To the Guards, the expression was horrifying. "I simply refused. But seeing the state of Ursus now... I suddenly feel that letting everything return to chaos might not be so bad after all."
"No, you are a demon! An evil god!" The Guards raised their weapons. "I thought this was merely an internal Ursus dispute... I didn't expect that in the end, we would be standing at the front line of civilization."
"Civilization? No, you aren't civilized at all." Xia Yu pressed forward, trailed by towering flames. "In my eyes, you—and the entirety of Ursus—are utterly barbaric."
"What century is this? Still practicing slavery... It honestly sickens me."
"Compared to the whispers of demons, your words are weak and laughable. They aren't half as damaging as the mental toll of those flames," the Guards countered, unmoved.
"Well, I never intended to convince you," Xia Yu said, raising her spear. "I was just airing my grievances about Ursus."
"It's only natural that you don't feel wavered." She smiled, and her silhouette blurred instantly.
Not good! The lead Guard tried to raise his blade to parry, but despite his best efforts, he couldn't even feel his own arms.
"Take a deep breath. It's normal to feel dizzy right now," Xia Yu's voice drifted from behind him. "Close your eyes. At the very least, enjoy a few seconds of peace in the final moments of your life."
The Guard leader looked down to see the ancient spear protruding from his chest. The Vyke's Flame began to consume his body, reaching for the fragment within him.
"You..." He exerted the last of his strength to speak, but the words never came. He stopped breathing entirely.
Only then did the other Guards react, drawing their blades to fight to the death.
In truth, Xia Yu didn't have to exert much effort to take the remaining lives. The battle was unremarkable. The strength of an Inner Guard lay primarily in the Dominion spell; once Xia Yu unleashed the Flame of Frenzy, she didn't even need to worry about the domain.
The flame would handle everything.
Stripped of their Dominion, the Guards' martial arts were no match for Xia Yu. Their strength and speed were utterly crushed. Since their techniques relied heavily on magic, Xia Yu cut through them like vegetables.
She simply used her hardened gauntlets to catch the first Guard's Ursus saber, ran him through with her spear, then used the seized blade to cleave the second.
The third and fourth attempted a pincer attack, but Xia Yu didn't even bother to dodge. She tanked their strikes and punched holes through their chests one by one.
Once magic was neutralized, these specialized units were surprisingly weak in close quarters.
Only after the flames had incinerated the surrounding Dominion did Xia Yu retract them. Having just received offerings, the Flame of Frenzy felt strangely obedient; it knew she would be harvesting much more soon.
The warriors from the convoy finally dared to approach.
"Were those... truly Inner Guards?" the Shieldguard captain asked, staring at the five corpses in shock.
"The genuine article." Xia Yu nodded and asked, "Could you do me a small favor? Remove their helmets. I'll have a use for them later."
"As for the bodies, find a place to bury them. They've been purified. Despite everything, the Inner Guards are warriors who stand on the front lines for humanity. It would be too tragic to leave them out in the wilderness."
"Understood, Doctor," the captain muttered, seemingly wanting to say more but holding back.
Xia Yu quietly watched Alina walk over.
"Our route should have been top secret," Alina said, looking at the Shieldguards clearing the bodies. "Very few people knew in advance."
"Which makes it easier to judge who the problem is." Xia Yu looked into her eyes.
"...It's Talulah, isn't it?" Alina recalled her conversations with Talulah and the Doctor's strange behavior.
"She is the eyes," Xia Yu confirmed.
"...So, you're going back?" Alina asked again.
"Yes, I have to." Xia Yu patted her shoulder and took the helmets from the Shieldguards. "Ten warships. They won't hold out."
"Please, Doctor," Alina gripped her hand. "Save Talulah."
She didn't ask why the Doctor hadn't spoken up sooner. She simply felt that if the Doctor had a plan, it was a solid one.
"Don't worry. I'll get it done."
In the dawn light, Xia Yu used the Itzal for the first time. She stashed the helmets in her inventory and soared into the sky.
★ ★ ★
"I don't understand."
In the mobile city, Patriot and the cadres prepared their elites for battle.
FrostNova suddenly spoke. "I'm worried the Doctor... won't follow the plan. That she'll actually go and raid the Ursus supply lines."
In her eyes, the Doctor was a person of strong convictions. Leaving the city so easily felt out of character.
"I feel it's not that simple either," Talulah sighed.
"Trust the Doctor," Patriot consoled them. "She knows our bitter—wait, what is that?"
Everyone looked where he pointed.
A brilliant meteor streaked across the sky, trailing a magnificent tail of fire as it plummeted toward the mobile city.
"On guard!" Patriot raised his greatshield and halberd. The surrounding soldiers braced themselves.
They hadn't expected the Ursus fleet yet, but this unidentified meteor arrived first.
"Is it a coincidence? Or an Ursus secret weapon?" Patriot wondered, but the meteor had already crashed into the snow ahead, kicking up a massive white cloud.
"Wait, that looks like..." FrostNova widened her eyes at the figure in the mist. "It's familiar... Doctor?!"
"How did you fly—no," Talulah gasped in shock. "Why are you back?"
"Your life is more important than anyone's here!"
"The convoy was attacked." Xia Yu brushed the snow off her clothes and walked over.
"What? Are Alina and the children okay?" Talulah asked urgently.
"The people are fine." Xia Yu reached her, placing a hand on Talulah's shoulder. She tossed out several pitch-black helmets. "However, look at these. Do you have anything to say?"
"What do you mean?" FrostNova reacted before Talulah could. "These are... those monsters' helmets? Five of them?!"
"Inner Guards," Patriot noted grimly, looking at the blood-stained steel. "Five Guards are enough to destroy a mobile city."
He looked at Xia Yu's hand on Talulah's shoulder. "A premeditated ambush. Do you suspect Talulah?"
"Me?" Talulah was stunned. "How could I leak anything? Alina was in that convoy!"
The Guerilla members wavered. They all knew the depth of the bond between Alina and Talulah.
"I'm not asking Talulah," Xia Yu said, staring into her eyes. "Kashchey—no, Black Snake. Looking at these five helmets, do you have nothing to say?"
But Talulah's face showed no sign of the Black Snake taking over.
She said in disbelief, "Kashchey... what do you mean? Didn't I already kill him?"
"No. You mean... he's inside my body?" Talulah's voice trembled.
"Yes. More accurately, he's a parasite in your spirit," Xia Yu nodded. "Waiting for the moment your will breaks so he can seize your body. He'd use your identity to stir up chaos."
"The Draco claim to Victoria, your status as a Yan princess, plus being the public heir to Duke Kashchey... there is so much he could do with you."
"Doctor," Talulah's pupils shook. "Is this all true?"
"Why do you think I chose to stay that day?" Xia Yu countered.
"Kashchey," Patriot muttered, looking at Talulah. "That immortal Black Snake?"
"Immortal... immortal..." Talulah fell into a stunned silence.
The Guerilla members, though confused, understood enough to raise their weapons nervously.
Finally, Talulah took a deep breath, as if making a final resolution. She drew her sword and pressed it against her pale neck. "Tell Alina I'm sorry. I can't keep our promise."
Her gaze was resolute yet filled with tenderness and pain. The sight of her preparing to take her own life amidst the snow was tragically beautiful.
"Talulah, don't!" FrostNova lunged forward to stop her, but Xia Yu caught her arm.
"Doctor, I can't let her die!" FrostNova cried.
"Relax, she won't die," Xia Yu sneered. "Look at her face. How 'tragically beautiful.' Since when was Talulah so feminine?"
"Taking a dozen seconds of silence before drawing the blade... this hesitation isn't like Talulah at all."
Xia Yu turned her gaze back to the "Snake." "Kashchey, is this little performance really fun for you?"
"It is. Very much so." Kashchey stopped pretending. "But I must ask: how did you see through me?"
"I shouldn't have been active at all that day!"
"You are one of the sources of the Infected's suffering in Ursus," Xia Yu spat. "And I just walked out from among the people you persecuted. That is enough."
"I still don't understand." Kashchey shook his head, then turned to Patriot. "But Buldrokas'tee, surely you can see the aura emanating from her!"
"This person was never the salvation of the Infected. I think you understand what that aura represents."
"Come, let us join forces," Kashchey said, reaching out to Patriot. "Ursus needs your protection to drive out these things that do not belong in the mortal realm..."
The only response was Patriot's halberd pointing at his throat.
"Get out of Talulah's body, monster!"
"You know I am no monster," Kashchey said, looking at Xia Yu. "On the contrary, she is the monster among monsters. If you just nod, these ten warships will be our allies. I will allow your Guerillas to continue existing."
Despite the calm words, Kashchey was seething. How was I discovered? He couldn't fathom it. All plans were ruined. Now, he would have to slaughter every witness and shift the next phase to the Infected who had left the city.
"Why are you acting so arrogant?" Xia Yu asked, puzzled. "Killing you isn't a difficult task for me."
"Because you are wrong. You cannot kill me," Kashchey said, looking back at her. "Besides, you aren't just fighting me."
Behind him, ten massive silhouettes appeared simultaneously on the horizon.
"You are fighting the entirety of Ursus! Monster!"
"Buldrokas'tee, it isn't too late to turn back! I will forgive your crimes if you fight for Ursus!"
The malice surging from Xia Yu was crashing against Kashchey's nerves. He needed the Guerillas' help; with a forcibly occupied body, he didn't believe he could defeat the monster before him.
"Ursus?" Xia Yu looked at the warships on the horizon, then back at Kashchey, tilting her head.
"Just a few pieces of scrap metal. I'll tear them apart for you right now!"