The defeated saint is also on the way to tame the evil god today

　"The resonance of the fire strings and life is the final medium needed for the ritual."

　"Do you think I will cooperate with your nonsense?" Alice said coldly.

　"You will, or Lady Diana and her three daughters will become fuel for...the furnace."

　"It seems I've talked too much nonsense with you."

　Alice gently wiped the tip of her wand, and sparks flashed in the air.

　"I'd better kill you and then ask your soul."

　Dawn, whose life and death is unknown, the people of the Citadel who have turned into sand statues, and the dead Bishop Roberts.

　Alice didn't know how many lofty reasons Isabella used to arm herself, but in the face of the facts she saw, those lofty reasons were vulnerable.

　If the price of a great cause is innocent lives, she will destroy that cause.

　""

　Isabella's face lost its friendliness when she saw Alice pull out her wand.

　Her eyes widened with anger as she shouted:

　"Get her!"

　Almost at the same moment, Alice's wand struck the chord of fire, and the flames surged—

　"The words of the mourning bird!"

　The illusory sound of birdsong appeared in the air, ripples appeared in the space, and a hot atmosphere enveloped everything.

　The souls of those living golden guards were already broken. Under the influence of the mourning birds, they hugged their heads and twisted their bodies, but there was no mouth on their golden faces to wail for them.

　This was the moment Alice wanted.

　Seeing that the Living Golden Guard was being interfered with, she immediately canceled the words of the mourning bird, and then used her hand to rub out a black fire sword on the wand.

　Then, she rushed towards Isabella, killing the living golden guards along the way with her black fire giant sword.

　The living golden guards, whose spirits were disturbed, had little fighting ability left. They couldn't even hold their weapons steadily, and couldn't even get into a stance before they were chopped into golden pieces by Alice's black fire giant sword.

　But none of them retreated.

　Their faces were blurry, with no facial features to reveal emotions, but Alice could feel that she was killing living people.

　Perhaps, as Isabella said, these guards really defended her until their death.

　Or maybe they are just puppets being manipulated, letting the queen on the stage direct their every move.

　But what does it matter?

　"Get back!"

　As Alice swung her sword faster and faster, black flames appeared from all around her and surrounded her.

　The flames were like a dress, contrasting with the light in her eyes, like a mad fire dragon!

　"boom--"

　"boom----"

　"boom"

　The turbulent flames created by the Black Flame Sword tore through the soldiers' defenses again and again, throwing the burnt golden fragments into the sky.

　This is a purely one-sided battle!

　In the blink of an eye, Alice was just a few steps away from Isabella.

　She plunged the Black Flame Sword into the ground, and a torrent of flames erupted in a circular motion, instantly sending all nearby Living Gold Guards flying.

　Then, she gathered her strength and raised her sword, ready to pierce Isabella's heart—

　——but someone grabbed his wrist.

　"?"

　Alice's wrist was grasped by a small, snow-white hand and gently lifted up.

　The last second, she had a huge black flame sword burning in her hand, but now, her wand fell to the ground and the black flames on her skirt had dissipated.

　Time is suspended.

　"That's enough, Miss Alice. That's enough."

　A chill fell on Alice's throat. She looked down and saw a pair of tailor's scissors.

　The scissors were engraved with complex patterns, and an icy blue light flickered between the gaps.

　Alice knew the scissors and the voice behind her.

　"Rose..."

　Tailor Rose has served the Puxit family for many years and is famous for her superb tailoring skills.

　Whether it was Alice or Xingmo, their combat uniforms were all custom-made by Rose.

　Ordinary cloth, yet it has a strength close to that of armor.

　It wasn't until she saw the diary that Alice realized that Rose's excellent tailoring skills were not accidental.

　What she possessed was the weaving skills of the Frozen family.

　The family that served the White Angel possessed crafting abilities comparable to those of the elves, and Rose was their last descendant.

　She waited in the shadows of the Citadel until the evil god of Mortiheim descended and the being she served emerged from its shell.

　"I warned you twice, but you still came here."

　Rose's voice was still as ethereal as usual, yet tinged with a hint of sadness:

　"Miss Alice, you are always so stubborn."

　"Are you still you? Rose..." Alice whispered.

　"It's me...and it's not me..." Rose whispered, "Does it matter to you?"

　Alice's mouth trembled slightly:

　"Very important."

　"Thank you, I'm glad you said that."

　"Have you been waiting for this day all these years?"

　"Destiny will bring everything to the right place. Before its power, I can only wait."

　As Rose whispered, Alice could feel a cold chill coming from behind her.

　She clenched her fists calmly and clicked the ring on her wrist, ready to find an opportunity to break free.

　But at this moment, Rose said:

　"You'd better stop resisting, otherwise, it might backfire."

　At this time, the golden guards under Isabella's throne made way.

　Then, Alice finally saw what the Living Golden Guards were guarding—

　—A living golden altar.

　Although the runes standing around it make it look like an altar, it is actually a furnace - golden hot liquid is boiling in the furnace, releasing extremely high temperatures.

　At this moment, one by one, the Living Golden Guards were jumping into the furnace in an orderly manner. With the sound of "sizzling", they became part of the melt.

　The golden fragments rose and fell on the surface of the liquid in the furnace, and gradually gathered into a stable shape.

　That was what happened in the hot room that Alice couldn't enter during her previous visit to the Maple Leaf Palace.

　Living souls endow living gold with spirituality. By throwing them into the altar furnace and fusing them with extraordinary materials, they can forge a golden body that can accommodate angelic power.

　Directly above the furnace, Alice saw four figures hanging:

　Diana, Mia, Leah, Sheila.

　Their eyes were closed, their faces were calm, and they had no idea that the temperature beneath their feet was so high that it could melt people.

　"Don't be angry. Being angry will only make things worse," Rose whispered softly in Alice's ear. "Miss Alice, you can't defeat me, but you can save them."

　"Rose... Isabella..." Alice's throat trembled, "Put them down, otherwise, I will kill you..."

　"But they'll die too," Rose whispered. "Is it really worth it?"

　A feeling of utter powerlessness suddenly washed over Alice.

　She suddenly felt very tired. After fighting alone for so long, was there nothing she could do in the end?

　She wanted to protect the Citadel, but she couldn't even do that when her own family was hanging from the Crucible.

　Feeling Alice's trembling, Rose whispered:

　"We are both sisters. I understand how you feel, so I'm sorry."

　"Submit, Alice. I will ensure their safety. Not even Isabella can harm them."

　"In the name of the White Angel Saint Clouse."

　""

　The molten iron boiled and sparks flew.

　It seemed that it was too hot, and Mia, who was hanging on the chains, opened her eyes dazedly.

　She uttered a small groan of fear, and then saw Alice at the furnace.

　"Sister...sister!" Mia cried.

　At that moment, Alice felt something in her heart break.

　She slowly raised her hands, looked up, and gave Mia a wry smile:

　"Sister will save you...Mia..."

　Seeing her surrender, Rose smiled faintly:

　"A sensible choice, Miss Alice."

　The next second, Alice felt a black screen before her eyes, and her consciousness gradually faded.

　go away.

　She heard Isabella's chuckle, her sister's cry, and Rose's murmur.

　At the end of consciousness, there was a pair of ice-blue eyes and a silly voice:

　"Well, see you later, hey~"

　The second floor terrace of the banquet hall.

　Listening to the noise in the banquet hall gradually die down, Perlis put down her wine glass and looked out the window.

　She saw the string expanding in the blue moonlight, and the shadow of the magnificent garden repeatedly outlined above the city.

　"The legacy of the String Painter is truly impressive," she muttered softly.

　The pale blue string repeatedly reshapes the laws of the world, and each vibration is a confrontation with the world itself.

　That string represents the concept of truth, and is one of the three strings that make up the Shepherd's Strings, alongside Destiny and Life.

　When she saw it appear over the Citadel, Perlis knew that some things were destined to happen.

　It is easy to interfere in a war, but interfering with the truth may cost a huge price.

　No one can afford that price, at least not now.

　""

　"Miss, I advise you not to move, or your pretty little head will be shot through."

　Perlis glanced sideways and saw a group of immortals wearing jackal armor slowly approaching with muskets in their hands.

　"Did your emperor tell you to attack bystanders?" she said calmly.

　"You are no mere bystander. Austin's debt is yours..." the Imperial Centurion Gillock hissed. "The great Cain said that you are weak now, a mere projection without any power. So I advise you... surrender..."

　"And then? You want to take me back and torture me like a criminal?"

　Perlis turned her eyes slightly to the side, and her blood-red pupils reflected the faces of the jackals.