For a moment, everything became black.
…And then, two furious white eyes ignited in the blackness. A moment later, a white silhouette became visible again, surrounded by a blinding glow. That glow pushed against the darkness, on the verge of vanquishing it.
However, Sunny was already near the radiant figure.
He could attack it freely.
But he did not.
An incandescent hand shot forward, aimed at his throat. Sunny allowed it to grab his forearm, instead. A terrible pressure and heat descended on his arm, slowly turning the steel of the Undying Chain bright orange. He could feel his flesh beneath it starting to burn.
But he still did not attack.
Instead, Sunny dismissed his helmet and looked straight at the flame apparition.
"Stop!"
His arm was in a sea of blazing pain.
Refusing to move, Sunny looked at the beautiful radiant face in front of him.
"Stop! It's me!"
Slowly, a vague hint of recognition appeared in the burning white eyes of the radiant monster. The blinding light emanating from her skin dimmed a little.
Sunny gritted his teeth.
"Changing Star!"
Her hand trembled. The stark inhumanity of her face grew less frightening.
The apparition opened its mouth.
Her voice was hoarse and awkward, as if covered in rust after not being used for a long, long time:
"...S—Sunny?"
He forced out a pale smile.
"It's me! Snap out of it, damn it!"
The radiant figure — Nephis — froze. Slowly, the light suffusing her skin dimmed, and then became extinguished.
The fire devouring the underground level weakened, too, allowing the fire suppression systems to douse it.
Standing naked amidst the devastation caused by her, Changing Star stared at Sunny with a confused expression.
Then, she suddenly swayed, and fell down.
Sunny was barely quick enough to fall to his knees and catch her.
Holding Neph in his arms, he looked up and noticed the Awakened warriors of the security team staring at him in shock from afar.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
"...What are you doing, fools?! Bring me something to cover her up! Don't you know who that is?!"
He shook his head, hiding the fact that he was as stunned as they were.
"This... this is Lady Changing Star, the last daughter of the Immortal Flame clan. She's back..."