And so, facing the indifferent gaze of the gods, the rebellious Vampire slowly lifted the Scepter in his hand, a satisfied smile on his face, "Isn't it redemption? I've got it now!"
At that moment, the holy light faded away.
The Abyss collapsed.
Huai Shi opened his eyes and saw the iron-black Sky Dome and the endless blood-red Sea. He had returned to this darkened firmament, even though he was now shattered, only a skeleton remaining.
He slowly turned his head, gazing at the astonished teenage girl behind him, and a smile emerged on his fractured face, "I fight for you, my lady!"
BOOM!
The Chimera's tentacles swept across.
Huai Shi was sent flying backward, crashing into the mast and breaking it completely. The shattered sails fell into the burning flames and blazed fiercely.
From within the flames, the shattered Huai Shi climbed up like a clay doll. He looked down at his own horrific state and raised his hand toward Old Xiao, who was slowly approaching.
"Wait a second, let me flip through the book... After I finish, we can continue the fight!"
He waved his hand, drew out the Book of Fate, and clumsily flipped through the records left by the Bishop, searching for entries among the fragmented text.
But Old Xiao gave him no chance at all. Extending his hand, two tentacles flew out from his sleeves, wrapping around Huai Shi's legs, lifting him into the air, and then, suddenly, smashing him onto the deck.
It was as if Old Xiao was wielding a hammer.
All the visible cabins were smashed to pieces. Countless fragments flew in all directions. In the end, amidst the ruins, only a silvery-white skeleton remained.
Threads of golden blood flowed over the silver bones, slowly shimmering with light, as if decorating a steel matrix.
He was still alive?
Old Xiao frowned in displeasure. The two heads on his shoulders suddenly opened their mouths, spouting acid and poison fire, converging into a tide that swept straight towards Huai Shi!
"So it is, then?"
In that instant, the broken skeleton nodded in understanding. He reached out, pulled the solemn Scepter from the Book of Fate, and slowly lifted its sharp end.
He aimed it at his own chest. And thrust it in!
BOOM!
Flames consumed everything.
But then, from within the temperatures terrifying enough to melt steel into liquid, a sacred light ignited from within the Vampire's remains.
In a flash, it became like the sun.
An endless stream of intense light burst forth from Huai Shi's chest cavity, from atop that Scepter.
It was purification!
Huai Shi was... purifying himself!
A sanctity more than a hundred times greater than Holy Water spread cruelly over Huai Shi's shell, inch by inch, killing the Vampire's Dark Basicity and body.
Old Xiao didn't even need to lift a finger; Huai Shi was practically committing suicide!
But within this ruthless purification that left nothing behind, Huai Shi spread his hands with a sense of release, welcoming the arrival of the end.
"Stop your pointless tricks!"
Old Xiao snorted coldly, instantly stirring up a violent wind that howled towards him. He raised his fist and slammed it into Huai Shi's damaged skull.
In that instant, Huai Shi lifted his palm.
Bathed in the divine flames, his finger bones glowed brightly, slowly unfolding to block the front of the bestialized fist.
BOOM!
Storms, tides, loud noises—all came to an abrupt halt in front of that single palm.
Old Xiao looked up in astonishment, hearing the sound of steel grating right above Huai Shi's shattered face.
In that fearsome skull, it was as if seeds of iron were growing, incrementally emerging from the broken cranium, covering the ghastly visage of the skull and transforming into a solemn and stern mask.
Behind the mask, a sudden burst of light ignited within the pitch-black eye sockets.
Huai Shi opened his mouth, screaming, roaring.
His soundless roar took on substance.
The searing light turned into a flood, bursting forth from his eyes and mouth, shooting straight ahead, instantly piercing through Old Xiao's arm, burning the mutated limb to ashes.
The Scepter cracked, inch by inch.
Just as all vampiric parts were incinerated, brilliant radiance flowed from the remaining Silver Skeleton within Huai Shi, spilling over his frame, forming into a brand-new shell.
Within the light, the Powers of countless Holy Spirits interlocked, connected, knitted, and twined around each other, manifesting as tangible radiance flowing over the surviving skeleton—no, the Holy Remains!
In an instant Metamorphosis, a new miracle emerged from the void.
As Huai Shi moved forward, countless golden patterns appeared on the silver mask. Above his head, a pure light broke through the nothingness, intertwining into a ring, suspended high, scattering its fierce and stern radiance in all directions.
When he took the first step, the steel matrix—the Holy Remains of iron that was his body—sang, myriad tiny voices overlapping into a magnificent, holy choir.
When he took the second step, the sound of shattering came from behind him—the noise of old bone splintering and also the clear chime of new miracles being born.
With the sharp sound, sparks scattered, and iron branches grew inch by inch from his back. On these myriad offshoots, light condensed into radiant filaments, forming enormous wings that seemed vast enough to overshadow the sky.
Wings of steel!
As if a Holy Spirit from legend walked between heaven and earth, bringing down Punishment and destruction.
"Heard you've evolved?"
Between the pitch-black Sky Dome and the blood-red Sea, the steel Angel hovered above this cruel world, looking down at the astonished Chimera, a smile forming behind the mask, "What a coincidence, so have I!"
To temper a Soul with a hundredfold of sins, to infuse the miracle of the Holy Spirit into silver, embedding it into the marrow, and to irrigate it with the blood of countless people, nurturing the seed of redemption planted in the depths of the Abyss.
When endless darkness is burned to ashes, light will burst forth from the Abyss.
When original sin is purified, redemption will come.
This is the redemption that Van Essen yearned for but could not obtain, the evolution of the Vampire—
—Authority Angel!
Huai Shi raised his palm towards the burning ship below, forming an invisible grasp. The force of attraction burst forth, steel sang, and the blood-stained silver axe whistled towards him, falling into his hands.
Towards the enraged Chimera.
SLASH!