Several weeks had passed, and Tina's body had recovered somewhat.
Now she could walk on her own and even use some of her power of chaos.
Yet she still wanted Sathya to hold her hand as they walked. She knew Little Ya was protecting her, but she still craved her touch. Snuggling close to her in the winter always made both her body and heart feel warm—and it naturally paved the way for doing other things they loved to do.
It was just that things other than Little Ya were a bit difficult to understand.
For example, where had all the people in this town gone?
And for another, she could hear the voice of her own kind...
“Little Ya, here... there is... my kind,” Tina said as they walked, blinking her draconic eyes.
Sure enough, Little Ya and Velrose wore highly astonished expressions.
They looked at Tina, finding it incredible that she could perceive this.
After all, even Sathya herself had only learned of this because the Deceptive Magical Beast had emitted a final, tenacious ripple of chaos.
Magical beasts possessed a strong sense of mutual awareness, knowing of each other's existence. However, when it came to weakened individuals, they could not be found unless they actively released their power of chaos to call for help.
“A trap,” Sathya muttered to herself.
Sathya did not believe the Deceptive Magical Beast was the one who had set the trap.
Ultimately, it was extremely rare for magical beasts to turn against one another or harbor malice toward their own kind.
She was the same—in the end, for the sake of the magical beasts, she had come to detest humans.
Regardless, she had to find her first and get some answers.
“Almost all the humans in this town are gone,” Shetiel said. “Could Sister Isobel really have run into trouble?”
“Perhaps it's a trap set by the Church,” Velrose added with a smile.
As they continued forward, they realized this town was no place to stay. It was completely deserted, as if everyone had vanished into thin air. The snow in front of the houses lay completely undisturbed, threatening to bury the entire town alive in a blanket of white.
Even in broad daylight, the situation was highly eerie. But for magical beasts, they themselves were the greatest anomaly.
Soon, a squad of paladins standing at a street corner came into view.
Their leader was a young man with auburn hair parted down the middle, resembling a flickering flame.
Clad in a blue cloak and silver armor, he looked like a general straight off the battlefield.
Seeing the girls approach, he stepped forward, even waving his hand as he called out, “Hello there! Who might you all be?”
“...”
Not a single person answered him.
The man's face remained full of enthusiasm. “I am Gade, Commander of the Second Paladin Order! Pleased to meet you!”
“Lady Elcalan told me that anyone coming to this town would be a magical beast!”
As he spoke, several paladins emerged from hidden corners of the streets and alleys.
Unlike the Inquisitors, these knights did not wear heavy, solid armor.
Equipped in light armor, they excelled in rapid assaults and defensive warfare.
This time, they were fully prepared.
First of all, the Commander of the Second Paladin Order had once been the apprentice of Cardinal Phaetnis.
Both were renowned for their speed, and the battle-hardened commander was now strong enough to stand a three-to-seven chance against Phaetnis.
This was equivalent to a formidable powerhouse commanding their most elite, specialized army!
Furthermore,
Cardinal Elcalan had previously taught them how to deal with magical beasts.
A squad of over a thousand paladins quickly assembled, surrounding the girls completely.
Then, accompanied by the chanting of mages, the light in the sky converged into the shape of a crucifix.
With the crucifix as the center, holy light radiated outward, and three small bells appeared beneath it.
The clappers of the bells swung rapidly, striking them to produce a deafening, thunderous toll that carried holy magical fluctuations.
Magical beasts absolutely detested this kind of holy magic.
Sure enough, looks of displeasure appeared on the faces of Velrose and Shetiel.
“Indeed, we are magical beasts,” Sathya smiled. “Do you intend to kill us?”
“That would be perfect!” the Commander shouted.
He drew the ornate longsword at his waist. The crossguard featured a metal ring that emitted a dazzling light, which spread down the blade in shimmering waves.
Legend had it that the Sword God had once commissioned a legendary craftsman to spend his entire life forging two powerful weapons.
They were known as the Holy Swords.
There were two Holy Swords in total: one named “Eternal Day” and the other named “Eternal Night.”
The one in the Commander's hand was none other than “Eternal Day.”
At present, his strength clearly surpassed most bishops and Chief Inquisitors, approaching the level of a Cardinal. And this Holy Sword would only make him even stronger!
Even Bishop Phaetnis would be no match for him!
Coupled with the rest of the Paladin Legion, how could they possibly lose to mere magical beasts?
“Aside from you, the Cardinal also ordered me to arrest a girl named ‘Tina.’ Do you know where she is?”
Right at that moment, Sathya took off her bracelet.
Deprived of her chaotic disguise, her true appearance was exposed to everyone. Instantly, every paladin gasped in unison.
The girl's long silver hair was even whiter than the snow gleaming under the sunlight, fluttering beautifully in the whistling wind.
She shouldn't be a magical beast at all.
She was supposed to be this world's “uncrowned Saintess.”
The super-genius of the Holy Academy who had single-handedly dealt with magical beasts and rebellions, and who had even vanished in the White Dusk Forest—a figure destined to become the leader of humanity.
Why was she here?
But when they saw the miasma radiating from her body and the dangerous tentacles writhing up from the snow-white ground, they realized... she was a genuine abyssal magical beast!
Crimson crosses appeared in Sathya's eyes.
Boom!
At that exact moment, a firework woven from black and deep blue flames erupted in the sky.
The golden crucifix in the sky was instantly incinerated. A spell cast by over a thousand mages had been shattered in a single blow! And the culprit behind this was the girl standing beside Sathya.
With her deep blue hair, petite frame, and dazed, innocent look, she did not resemble a magical beast at all.
Yet she opened her mouth, and those black and blue flames spewed forth from within.
Boom!
Tina opened her mouth again. This time, the flames she unleashed were even more powerful than before.
She compressed the flames into a purple laser beam and aimed it at the empty sky. In an instant, the entire town was bathed in a violet glow, as if the sun itself had been pierced.
The paladins had seen plenty, but they had never witnessed anything like this!
They had always known how powerful magical beasts could be, and they had seen those capable of destroying entire cities. But now, the girl-like magical beast standing beside Sathya was more terrifying than any disaster they had ever imagined!
And Tina's next target was the paladins.
“Those who hurt... Little Ya... must all... die.”
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