Crystal Palace from Infinite Anime

In a very short time, the iron meteorite knife in Saeko Busujima's hand began to flicker with a purple light. As the purple arcs danced, a destructive force gathered on the blade.

Joan of Arc could have done something at this moment.

But she just stood there, keeping a confident smile on her pretty face.

Without saying a word, Busujima Saeko quickly swung her sword and slashed at Jeanne from mid-air.

"boom!"

In an instant, a purple shock wave rushed towards Jeanne d'Arc.

And at the moment the Honkai wave was generated, Jeanne moved, but she did not retreat or dodge left and right, but faced the Honkai wave and sprinted towards Busujima Saeko!

In a flash, Busujima Saeko, who had "extraordinary eyesight", clearly saw that just as the Houkai wave was about to hit Jeanne d'Arc, she turned into a ball of red light, and then a mountain cat jumped out from the red light.

She instantly transformed from a tall human woman into a mountain cat. The change in body shape allowed Jeanne to almost brush past the Honkai Wave. While avoiding the Honkai Wave, she was still able to pounce on Busujima Saeko at the same speed as a mountain cat.

Facing the flying mountain cat, Busujima Saeko swung her sword upwards.

"Bang~!"

The mountain cat was hit and instantly exploded into countless points of light scattered on the ground.

At the same time, Busujima Saeko felt a chill down her spine.

"boom!"

In an instant, gunshots rang out and bullets streaked across the night sky.

It was Jeanne who appeared behind Busujima Saeko and shot without hesitation!

However, the flying bullet did not hit anything and caused blood to splatter.

Busujima Saeko's figure disappeared in the blink of an eye!

[Hound Step]: A combat skill that allows one to instantly disappear and move by stepping. The movement speed is fast and the distance is long. During the movement, the caster will be in a state of nothingness, immune to any influence.

"Hound Step," a skill she learned in the Elden Ring world, made Busujima Saeko invincible in this battle! Hitting her with Jeanne's gun would be as difficult as reaching for the stars!

"So you know magic, so this is your confidence?"

At this time, at a position seven or eight meters to the right of Jeanne, at the edge of the apron, the voice of Busujima Saeko sounded faintly.

Jeanne turned to face Busujima Saeko and said with a sneer:

"It makes sense that witches can do magic, doesn't it?"

Unexpectedly, Joan of Arc called herself a "witch". Busujima Saeko frowned and thought of Anne Lloyds, Meifeng Li, Lani and others.

It feels like no matter what world it is, there will be so-called "witches"... and these witches always intersect with Lin Zhiyu, which is really inexplicable!

"Hmm? What? It seems like you are very disgusted with the word witch?" Joan of Arc saw all the changes in Busujima Saeko's expression. She was not interested in exploring what Busujima Saeko was thinking, but she deliberately used words to distract Busujima Saeko's attention.

Busujima Saeko kept her eyes on Jeanne without revealing any flaws. The two of them stood in a standoff for a few seconds, and just as Jeanne was about to raise her gun to shoot Busujima Saeko again, Busujima Saeko also gripped her katana tightly in her hand, ready to launch a surprise attack on Jeanne.

"Buzz~!"

Right in the center of the apron, a dazzling pink light suddenly lit up!

Busujima Saeko and Jeanne, who were about to fight again, both looked at the light that suddenly flashed in the middle of the tarmac.

The pink light quickly turned into a portal.

Then, two figures walked out of the portal. One was a burly, bald black man wearing sunglasses; the other was tall and slender, wearing a tight black jumpsuit, with a total of four brand new and gorgeous pistols on his hands and heels. Wasn't she Bayonetta?

"Huh~ Looks like we've arrived at some incredible place!"

As soon as they walked out of the portal, the bald black man next to Bayonetta looked up at the sky and let out a meaningful sigh.

It seemed to be a response to the black man.

The night sky, which was being stared at by the black man wearing sunglasses, immediately lit up and turned golden.

In an instant, a sacred atmosphere enveloped the rooftop of the building.

The so-called "angels" are bird-like figures wearing white armor with gold edges and wings on their backs. They hold weapons in their hands, floating in the air, looking down at Bayonetta and others on the rooftop, and flapping their wings to dive down and attack.

"Oh! A bunch of scum! Are you so eager to die? Drink!!!"

The black man in sunglasses roared to the heavens at the group of angels in the sky. From behind his sunglasses, a fierce pink light shot up into the sky with an astonishing momentum, instantly incinerating all the angels in the sky!

Those fully armed "birdmen" filled with sacred aura didn't even have time to put up any effective resistance!

Seeing such terrifying strength, even Busujima Saeko was filled with fear when she looked at the black man.

This feeling of oppression...

It even reminded Saeko Busujima of the "Star-Breaking General" Ratan who had beaten her, Lin Zhiyu and other masters to a pulp in the Magic Ring World!

However, Busujima Saeko's strength has greatly improved, far surpassing her previous strength against Latarn in the French Ring World. Even in this situation, she still feels a sense of shock. This shows that the black man wearing sunglasses beside Bayonetta is only stronger than Latarn!

"Heh~ Today is really thanks to you!"

As the angels that appeared in the sky disappeared in a flash, Bayonetta turned and smiled at the demon Rodan standing beside her.

Rodan—that was the name of the black man beside Bayonetta. He was once an angel, second only to the gods in power, but for some unknown reason he became a demon and started running a bar. He was also a weapons supplier. Bayonetta was Rodan's biggest client, both as a bar owner and as an arms dealer. So, besides business, Rodan wasn't above doing small favors for Bayonetta, like this: opening a portal to bring her to Vigrid in time.

Lin Zhiyu took Busujima Saeko away from Bayonetta's residence without saying a word. Bayonetta realized it later and could not keep up with Lin Zhiyu who could fly all night. Fortunately, she still had her friend Rodin.

"Okay, Bayonetta, you have got the new weapon. If you want to come to Vigrid, I will bring you there. Don't forget the account we settled today!" Rodin spoke to Bayonetta with a smile on his face. At the same time, behind him, the pink light shone again, forming a portal.

After waving to Bayonetta, Rodin stepped into the portal and disappeared along with it.

It was not until this time, with Rodin's departure, that Bayonetta turned her head and looked at Busujima Saeko and Jeanne.

"Ah~ It looks like you two have just had some intense exercise~ Would you like to consider letting me join in for a threesome?" Bayonetta swept her charming eyes over Busujima Saeko and Jeanne, and licked her lips with her tongue while speaking, her tone full of teasing.

Busujima Saeko stared at Bayonetta, then raised her right hand, pointed the iron meteorite knife in her hand at Jeanne, and asked Bayonetta, "Theresa, do you know her?"

Bayonetta's gaze shifted to Jeanne at Saeko Busujima's question. The two witches, who had grown up together, locked eyes. Without needing to engage in further conversation, simply through the glances, Jeanne instantly confirmed that Bayonetta's memory had been restored.

Bayonetta looked at Jeanne with a smile, her lips moving slightly as if she was about to say something.

Then, as if she thought of something, she suddenly froze for a moment, and then looked at Busujima Saeko again.

"What did you call me just now?" Bayonetta asked in surprise.

Saeko Busujima was a bit confused by Bayonetta's question, but she soon realized the problem: Bayonetta had just tacitly accepted the name Theresa, but wasn't she pretending to still be in a state of amnesia? If she couldn't remember anything about the past, how could she not feel strange about being called Theresa?

In other words - Bayonetta has already made a mistake in this scene!

Busujima Saeko quickly figured it all out, so she shook her head and smiled, then said to Bayonetta:

"Bayonetta, you are Little Theresa, and Little Theresa is your past self. You know this very well. You don't have to pretend you don't know anymore. Ayu is not as slow as you think~"

Hearing what Busujima Saeko said, Bayonetta suddenly felt so embarrassed that she wanted to dig her toes into the ground. In her mind, she had already imagined the scene of Lin Zhiyu looking at her with a meaningful smile, as if silently saying to her, "Keep acting, I'll just watch and I'll definitely not expose you~"

"Tsk!" The witch, who was exposed by Busujima Saeko, couldn't help but curl her lips.

Originally, she wanted to be naughty and try to get along with someone in an identity other than "sister".

Unexpectedly, someone had already seen through her!

Chapter 14 A long-lost hug

Tick, tick, tick, tick...

The room is spacious and filled with seats, and the terraced style looks like a university classroom.

Lin Zhiyu, wearing beast-gathering armor and a helmet, held the Sword of Night and Fire in his hand and walked down the stairs between rows of seats. The sound of his mithril boots stepping on the ground echoed continuously in the empty room.

As far as Lin Zhiyu's sight could reach, a middle-aged man with religious attire, a white robe with gold edges and a white-haired crown that half covered his left eyelid, was sitting behind a podium. He was staring intently at Lin Zhiyu who was walking down step by step and getting closer to him.

The last Lumen Sage——Balder!

Bayonetta's biological father!

Of course, strictly speaking, this man was no longer Balder. Within him resided the consciousness of the evil incarnation of the Creator of this world. Lin Zhiyu understood that Balder had long since been possessed.

"We actually let some strangers get in here, the witch Joan of Arc... and those angels... Humph! It turns out that the power must be completely concentrated on oneself, only then can it be reliable!" As Lin Zhiyu got closer, the evil Balder still sat firmly behind the podium, his words full of strong dissatisfaction and arrogance of being the only one who matters.

While Balder was talking to himself, Lin Zhiyu had already silently come to a position only two meters away from the podium, and the sword of night and fire in his hand suddenly ignited with flames.

Feeling the temperature rising, Balder narrowed his eyes and said slowly:

"So, before you take action, you don't intend to reveal your identity?"

"..." Lin Zhiyu remained silent, but raised the flaming straight sword in his hand, pointed the tip of the sword at Balder's face, and continued to move forward.

"Hmph! What an arrogant fellow!" Balde snorted coldly, and his right eye, which was not covered by the mask, suddenly shot out a golden laser and attacked Lin Zhiyu.

boom--!

Lin Zhiyu raised his free left hand and swung it, and the golden beam of light that was flying towards him was immediately deflected by Lin Zhiyu, hitting the ceiling in the upper left corner of the room and blasting a hole the size of a washbasin.

Then Lin Zhiyu thrust his sword forward. Balder thought about it, and a golden translucent spherical barrier immediately formed around him, wrapping and protecting him.

clang!

The flaming Sword of Night and Fire pierced the holy light barrier that protected Balder. Lin Zhiyu felt a huge resistance, so he exerted force again and forced the sword into the barrier.

"Buzz, buzz—ka-la!"

Balder was feeling proud of having blocked Lin Zhiyu's attack with divine magic, but the sneer on his face was only half revealed when the holy light barrier that protected him began to crack under Lin Zhiyu's unreasonable brute force.

What shocked Balder even more was that, although his holy light barrier had not yet completely shattered, wisps of crimson light from the flaming sword in Lin Zhiyu's hand penetrated through the cracks into the barrier and wrapped around him.

"What is this...!?" Balder felt something was wrong and was about to respond.

At this moment, the wisps of red light wrapped around his body suddenly exploded with a "swish" sound and turned into a raging fire!

"Wow~!"

In an instant, the golden translucent holy light barrier was completely shattered.

A blue light burst out from the tip of the Sword of Night and Fire in Lin Zhiyu's hand. This blue light expanded greatly in less than a second and extended forward, forming a deep blue magic shock wave that hit Balder who had just been engulfed by the flames.

"Boom~!"

Balder, his whole body covered in flames, was instantly knocked back by the bombardment of the magic shock wave. His body pierced through the solid concrete wall of the building. He fell from the building a hundred meters above the ground like a burning kite in the long dark night.

"DaDaDa..."

The battle came to a temporary end. Lin Zhiyu maintained the previous action and had not yet put away his sword when he heard a series of rapid footsteps of high heels coming from behind.

So Lin Zhiyu turned around, and through the gap in his helmet, his eyes met the eyes of Bayonetta, Jeanne d'Arc, and Busujima Saeko who had arrived one after another.

"Hey~"

Busujima Saeko jumped forward lightly from the door, spanned a long distance, landed steadily, and came to Lin Zhiyu's side.

"She already knows, and you know she is playing you." Busujima Saeko glanced at Bayonetta, then said to Lin Zhiyu in a somewhat awkward tone.

Although the words were a bit confusing, Lin Zhiyu immediately understood what Busujima Saeko wanted to convey. He took off his helmet, looked up at Bayonetta who was still standing at the door, and said helplessly:

"Theresa, you've finally come... Although I know you demon goddesses have great powers and can transform into birds, you're not actually like angels who are born with wings and can fly long distances, right?"

What Lin Zhiyu meant was that he wanted to ask Bayonetta how she had managed to catch up with Vigrid so quickly.

"There's a saying that goes, 'When you're out and about, you rely on your friends.' Hehe, I've made a lot of new friends over the years! Oh! Ni! Chan!!"

Bayonetta looked at Lin Zhiyu with a charming smile on her face, then put her hands on her hips, and like a model walking on the catwalk, she walked down the stairs gracefully, gradually getting closer to Lin Zhiyu.

Hearing Bayonetta addressing Lin Zhiyu as "brother" in an extremely intimate tone, Jeanne widened her eyes slightly and suddenly realized!

Well... considering that Bayonetta, or little Theresa, grew up with Jeanne, how could she not have told Jeanne when they were little that she had a very powerful brother!

However, Joan of Arc always thought that it was just Theresa's fantasy.

Because she had been without the company of her parents since she was a child, young Theresa imagined an older brother who was caring for her and could do everything - this was what Joan of Arc had always thought.

But now it seems...

No, no!

Theresa had been living in her witch clan's settlement since she was a child. In an environment full of witches, how could she find a "brother"? This didn't make sense!

With this in mind, Joan of Arc stared at Bayonetta who was approaching Lin Zhiyu step by step, and thought that Bayonetta might be playing, because Bayonetta had a rather naughty and sinister personality when she grew up.

After a while, Bayonetta walked up to Lin Zhiyu, and was only a foot away from him face to face.

She parted her red lips, exhaling fragrantly, and said to Lin Zhiyu with a tone that seemed happy, yet also resentful, "It's just like when we were little. No matter what kind of trouble it was, my brother would rush to the front to solve it for the child. His mind was full of thoughts about the child's safety, but he left the child behind, and didn't even think about the child's feelings, the most important thing..."

Bayonetta paused, then leaned forward, put her lips close to Lin Zhiyu's ear, and whispered:

"Besides, I'm not a child anymore~"