I, the final BOSS of the beta test server!

“As expected—”

"I know that no matter what kind of situation you are forced into, you will always be able to break through the adversity and turn everything around."

Looking at the silver meteor that collapsed in the light, and looking at her own silver arm prosthesis with a tiny crack, Ingrid whispered softly.

At the other end of the ruins, in the surging light, Hiltina's entire body, severely wounded by Ingrid's sword, the wounds that could almost completely take the life of an ordinary person... were now being repaired and healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Seeing the extraordinary healing speed of Hiltina that far exceeded that of ordinary people, the bitterness on Ingrid's lips increased a bit.

"So that's how it is. From the beginning to the end—the scabbard of that holy sword was not in the hands of the Emperor of the Empire, where it should have been."

"Instead, it has long been buried within your body by your father."

"And now, that scabbard, sealed for centuries, has revived within your body, healing your injuries... Does this mean the Granville Empire's holy sword is finally awakening and finding a new master?"

"But, this is only natural."

Ingrid's words were soft, "After all, only someone as dazzling as you is worthy of the Holy Sword's recognition."

The pale blue flames silently faded away from Ingrid's slender figure.

The "Yin Iron" was released.

The silver meteor that swallowed up the light had exhausted Ingrid's last bit of strength.

She completely lost the strength to resist and was swept away by the rushing river of light, washed deep into the nuclear power plant, where the reactor core was located.

It was a cliff-like area, and beneath the cliff was boiling molten steel that was flowing slowly like lava.

Even though five years have passed, the aftermath of the previous nuclear leak accident is still continuing. The high temperature generated by nuclear fission melted a large amount of metal inside the nuclear power plant and turned the entire ruins into a huge furnace filled with molten iron.

At this moment, Ingrid was washed by the torrent of light and fell powerlessly into the deepest part of the furnace, like a red sea, into the molten steel at thousands of degrees.

"Senior!"

Hiltina's expression changed, and she suddenly leaped up, using the steel bars in the air as leverage, and rushed towards Ingrid, who was hit by the huge force, trying to pull her back from the edge of the cliff.

However, the next moment.

Swish.

The silver sword light flashed again, and bright red blood splashed up.

That was the blade Ingrid swung in mid-air.

Using her last bit of strength, she cut off the hand that Hiltina extended to her, and also destroyed her last hope of surviving from the steel furnace.

"Hiltina——"

"Even if you don't want to admit it, in the eyes of most of the nobles and soldiers in the imperial capital, you are still the first princess and the only heir to the future throne."

"Your Highness Ophelia is merely a front, stepping forward voluntarily... You are the one whom countless people have placed their hopes on, the one who can make the empire rise again."

"In their eyes, you are like the sun, dazzling and brilliant. Your light will illuminate the entire empire and bring hope to the people of the world—"

Ingrid's voice transmission rang directly into Hiltina's ears.

"But what if you are the sun?"

Dozens of meters above the molten steel, Ingrid, who was falling helplessly, smiled mockingly:

"People say you are the hope of the empire, and that you can make everyone see the sunshine."

"But moths like us, born in darkness...will only be roasted into charcoal by your light!"

"Hiltina——"

"Your light cannot illuminate my darkness!"

She just finished speaking.

The next moment, the boiling molten steel engulfed everything.

Chapter 185 I am looking forward to the day when I can completely tame you, Senior Sister (6k)

The surging light gradually dissipated, and Hiltina's figure rushed to the edge of the nuclear power plant ruins.

However, below the steel cliff, the only thing that responded to her was the steel torrent flowing slowly like lava in the red furnace.

The steel buildings that made up this nuclear power plant ruin were slowly crumbling, breaking into thousands of fragments, falling into the red torrent, and then further melting into liquid iron... There was a faint heavy rumbling sound in the wind.

But Ingrid's figure had disappeared in the roaring furnace and no longer existed.

"Senior Ingrid..."

Shiltina gritted her teeth and stared at the red steel lava.

In her hand, the spare ceremonial rapier also shattered into pieces, cracking into crystal-clear metal fragments that scattered all over the ground, never to be repaired.

This was the price Hiltina had to pay for using "Infinite Blade: Fantasy Collapse," completely destroying the activated weapon, leaving even the slightest possibility of repair unavailable.

This is the most intense combat method. No matter how much damage it can cause to the enemy, the moment you decide to use it, the fate of the rapier is determined.

This kind of determination to be torn to pieces is somewhat similar to Ingrid who stood opposite Hiltina not long ago.

She did not choose to evacuate from the border after the situation was settled, but stayed alone in the nuclear power plant... From the very beginning, Ingrid had determined to die and had imagined an ending where she would die.

Otherwise, she would not have resolutely swung the sword when Hiltina tried to rescue her, thus destroying her last chance of survival.

"So, Senior Ingrid..."

"In fact, from the beginning to the end, even when you were in the deepest hell, you never stopped looking up at the stars, right?"

Standing at the edge of a cliff filled with molten steel, Hiltina gazed at the crystal in her hand, which contained all the intelligence on the Gravekeepers and was left behind by Ingrid. She murmured softly to herself.

"You compare yourself to a moth that will be burned to charcoal by the light..."

"But, if it weren't for the desire for glory and honor in my heart—"

"How could a moth, already accustomed to the darkness, foolishly and blindly chase after the fleeting light..."

"Like a moth to a flame, destroying itself?"

Her soft whisper was drowned out by the roar of molten steel and was never heard by anyone.

……

Consciousness gradually revived in the darkness, and there was a damp feeling in the air.

When Ingrid opened her eyes again, she felt the moist and warm sea breeze blowing on her face.

The sky was clear blue, and she seemed to be on some unknown coast... But when Ingrid tried to stand up, she found that her body seemed to be imprisoned by some shackles, and she could not move at all.

Have I... arrived in the world after death, the legendary underworld?

As soon as this thought arose, Ingrid herself rejected it.

The memories in her mind gradually revived, allowing her to recall everything that had happened before.

From Hiltina's perspective, she was directly swept up by the light cannon created by "Illusion Collapse" and fell into the molten steel furnace behind the nuclear power plant. She was swallowed by the boiling molten steel at thousands of degrees, and no trace of her body was left.

But, from Ingrid's own perspective——

At the moment she fell off the cliff and was about to fall into the steel furnace, something happened that made her wonder if it was an illusion.

If the world is compared to a film reel played at normal speed, then at this moment, the whole world seems to have been paused.

Everything, whether it was the surging iron magma, the howling storm, the rushing light... even Ingrid's own body falling according to the law of gravity, was frozen at this moment, like a still photo.

Then, Ingrid saw a crack suddenly appear in the still air.

A big furry snow-white tail stretched out from the dark crack, wrapped around his waist, and he was pulled straight into the dark crack by the big tail.

and many more……

That fluffy white tail——

Although it was just a fleeting glimpse, Ingrid always felt quite familiar when she recalled the big tail that pulled her into the space rift.

I seemed to have seen the owner of that big furry tail somewhere before.

"We meet again, Senior."

The clear voice, mixed in with the sea breeze, rang distinctly in Ingrid's ears, interrupting her recollection of this inexplicably familiar feeling.

She looked up subconsciously.

Then, he saw the black-haired boy sitting on the rocks by the coast not far away, swinging his legs out of boredom.

Rast.

Ingrid recognized the face of the person before her.

She and the other person had met once before in the Mystery Tower a few months ago...

At that time, the noble alliance and the royal family had not yet torn their faces apart. It seemed that Last was looking for secret files in a secret tower. At the request of Hiltina, Ingrid used her authority as the Minister of Supervision in the military and the secret tower to help Last.

But other than that, there was no more interaction between the two.

The reason why Ingrid chose to do this small favor was because she had looked through Last's freshman file and knew his background, which seemed to be from a rather remote border village.

The vast majority of students at Star University come from aristocratic families, and those like Ingrid and Rust who come from poor areas are a minority among the minority.

Ingrid's similar background and circumstances made her feel more sympathetic towards Rust, and she took good care of him to the best of her ability.

However, this is just the most ordinary care that the senior sister gives to her juniors, nothing more.

No matter how Ingrid tried to recall, she could never connect the freshman who had just been enrolled in Star University for half a year with the world that seemed stagnant as if it were an illusion, and the big tail that tore through space.

"I know you must have a lot of questions in your mind right now, but it's not too late to explain those things later."

"So, I'll make it short."

"Senior sister, you are the one I saved."

"If it weren't for my 'Stand Still World', Senior would have been submerged in the molten steel by now, leaving no trace of her body..."

"Immersed in boiling molten steel, feeling the scorching heat gradually consume my body, I'm quite experienced in this kind of thing... Believe me, even if it's suicide, this is definitely one of the most painful ways to die."

Rast sat on the huge reef, looking at Ingrid not far away, his voice calm without a trace of emotion.

However, the information that came out of his mouth made Ingrid secretly shocked.

Ingrid looked directly into the boy's dark eyes, hoping to use her experience in the military to detect some clues from his eyes.

As the saying goes, "the eyes are the windows to the soul." When interrogating a criminal, many times, the answer can be obtained by simply observing the details of the other party's expression without the need for an answer... As the Minister of Supervision, Ingrid is very experienced in this regard.

But Ingrid soon discovered that this was in vain.

At first glance, those dark eyes looked clear and bright, like the bright stars at the bottom of a lake, but upon closer inspection, they seemed like a dark pond, swallowing up everything like a black hole, leaving only pure nothingness, from which not even light could escape.

This was a monster that he had never heard of or seen before... His past experience in interrogation and torture had no effect on Last.

"Why... do you want to save me?"

After a long silence, Ingrid spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Although I'd like to say it's because you helped me back in the Arcana Tower... but unfortunately, as you said yourself, the sins you committed with your own hands cannot be atonement for by any heroic deeds, let alone the small favor you did me back then."

"So, let's talk about some more realistic reasons."

Last smiled and said, "Actually, I'm secretly planning to establish a secret organization, and I'm in urgent need of manpower."

"And you, Senior Sister, are the first candidate I've selected. After all, whether in terms of strength or character, as a subordinate, you can only be described as impeccable..."

"Cold and apathetic, no nonsense, giving your all and acting without hesitation, without any scruples about government departments. If not for this, you wouldn't have become the most useful and efficient black glove, your hands stained with blood."

"And most importantly, Senior Sister, your identity is very clean and innocent..."

A gentle smile graced Rast's clean face. "The Noble Alliance and other secret organizations, including the cult, abandoned you long before they decided to evacuate the empire."

"And in the eyes of the military and the Imperial Family, you have already perished at the Gustav Nuclear Power Plant, incinerated by the scalding molten steel, leaving no trace of your remains."

"Senior, you have been erased from the archives of all major intelligence organizations and have become a completely dead person."

He paused for a moment, "And a dead person, whose remains are gone in the eyes of the world, is naturally more convenient and useful as a tool and chess piece."

"After all—the dead can do many things that living people cannot."

The boy's profile was bathed in the sea breeze, with soft lines and clear contours... just like Rast's clear voice, which made those who heard it feel like they were bathed in spring breeze.

However, if you carefully understand what the other person says, you will be able to feel the indifference and cruelty hidden beneath that gentle voice.

As the Chief of Inspectorate of the military, he was also secretly stained with countless bloody black gloves... Ingrid naturally understood very clearly the true meaning of what Last said.

It was not until this moment that she suddenly woke up -