The Defeated Saintess Is On A Journey To Tame The Evil God Book 01 Chapter 07.10.1 - Red Epiphyllum

Mourning Bird's Cry was a Saint-level magic of the string of fire domain. When Alice struck the five strings, ethereal wails surged and warped the space, while pale golden fire intermittently surged from nowhere. The Mourning Bird, a fabled harbinger of death, was rumored to appear before a life ended, emitting mournful cries.

This magic reflected that ominous legend. It affected an area of several meters around the caster, distorting space and filling it with eerie cries that heralded the imminent death of the target within one minute. Once that time passed, golden flames would ignite within the target's soul, causing an extreme surge of entropy that shattered their soul into chaotic fragments, extinguishing it entirely.

Humm—

Alice unleashed her spiritual force, continuously striking the five glowing strings with her wand, further distorting the space. Steam Man, sensing the impending threat, responded with a burst of steam and flames swirling in the air.

I must buy time for Senior. Xing Mo thought, no longer worrying about exposing herself. She struck four strings in quick succession, and a reddish-gold light surged from her wand—four-string magic: Starshine Sword.

Snapping her fingers, she conjured fiery feathers of light, and then darted toward Steam Man at breakneck speed. Golden fire surged back at her. With a swift wave of her wand, Xing Mo cleaved through the flames with a light sword, then ducked beneath Steam Man's punch and drove the light sword forward—

Clang—

The sword pierced his armor, creating a small gap from which black gas hissed out. In a flash, Xing Mo retreated, fiery feathers of light trailing behind as she dodged another punch.

Meanwhile, Steam Man's power surged. His steam string formation reached maximum output, tearing open multiple spatial rifts behind him. Black gas and roaring flames erupted as a chaotic energy flow coalesced at his chest. His breastplate cracked open, revealing a rapidly spinning turbine core.

...

Xing Mo twirled her wand and thrust it toward the ground, summoning a golden barrier that materialized out of thin air, shielding her and Alice—

Boom—

Steam Man's core unleashed a violent torrent of fire, crashing against the barrier. Xing Mo felt her spiritual force drain rapidly through her wand, her vision dimming as exhaustion took over. Just as her strength faltered, the Tree of Life mark on the back of her hand flared to life, replenishing her with a surge of spiritual force.

Her eyes sharpened as she funneled this energy into the Starflow Horizon, pushing back against the inferno blazing from Steam Man. When the firestorm finally subsided, a beam of golden light shot toward her. Reacting instantly, she rolled to the side—

Boom—

Steam Man advanced, throwing two heavy punches, but Xing Mo's agility kept her out of harm's way.

As he launched a third strike, a sudden realization hit her. She sensed the rapid vibrations of the strings of fire in the air. The fiery feathers of light around her blazed to life, propelling her into the air in an instant—

Boom—

The third punch erupted into a devastating pillar of fire, tearing through the far wall of the hall, causing the entire structure to tremble.

In midair, Xing Mo struck several strings, intending to conjure a cascade of fire. But in that very moment, the alchemical steam sequence on Steam Man shifted, playing an erratic, maddening rhythm.

All the strings of fire around her vanished instantly, and the fire that had begun to emerge was snuffed out.

What...? This is… the Inverse String Score? How can Steam Man play it? He's not even a Wizard, but a monster! Then how...

There was no time for reflection. Xing Mo stumbled to the ground, and her heart sank as she saw Steam Man redirect his focus—toward Alice, still playing Mourning Bird's Cry. The bronze-wrapped monster raised his arm, its mechanical structure shifting to reveal a crudely built firearm.

No! Time seemed to stretch painfully thin as Xing Mo realized she couldn't play the strings or reach Alice in time.

But there was still one last resort. Her eyes narrowed with resolve, and she summoned her remaining spirituality and uttered an obscure and profound word: "Submit!"

The word carried immense weight, almost draining her spiritual force completely, as she chanted the True Tongue, targeting Steam Man.

Humm, humm, humm—

A mountain-like pressure descended on Steam Man as Xing Mo's True Tongue command took effect. The bronze giant bent under the crushing force, unstable flames erupting wildly from his alchemical pipes. Alice, though somewhat affected by the pressure, gritted her teeth and poured all her remaining spiritual force into the tip of her wand.

She struck the five strings one final time. The minute during which Mourning Bird's Cry would take effect had ended—

"Aooo~~~~~" A chorus of tragic wails echoed from every direction. Pale golden flames surged through the air, converging on Steam Man. Under the weight of the True Tongue and the searing flames, Steam Man let out a tortured sound—an eerie cry somewhere between a bird's cry and a beast's roar, like metal scraping against glass or nails raking across a chalkboard.

His soul was being torn apart by the distorting space. Black gas streamed out of his body in chaotic gusts. Yet, despite all this, Steam Man didn't fall. His massive frame swayed and trembled, the fire spewing from his steam pipes growing even more ferocious. Cracks appeared in his bronze armor, and a black mist surrounded him.

He's about to lose control! Xing Mo's eyes widened in alarm as she realized what was happening. Her thoughts flashed back to Instructor Lucius's warning: If Steam Man loses control, the ensuing alchemical explosion will obliterate half the Citadel!

Even Mourning Bird's Cry had failed to destroy his soul—it had only severely wounded him. What is he...!? No… I have to do something…

...

Alice collapsed to her knees, completely drained from casting Mourning Bird's Cry. She gripped her wand tightly, feeling helpless as she watched the impending detonation of Steam Man.

Xing Mo quickly assessed the situation. She glanced at the kneeling Alice, then at Steam Man, who was on the verge of a catastrophic release. Determination set in her eyes as she gritted her teeth and began playing strings of starlight, intending to use Starflow Horizon to seal both herself and Steam Man inside a barrier, containing the devastating alchemical steam.

This was exactly what Miriam had done before—sacrificing herself to save the people.

"No..." Alice, realizing what Xing Mo intended to do, weakly extended her hand with the wand.

Xing Mo turned to Alice and smiled softly: "Senior, trust me."

With that, she dashed toward Steam Man, activating the Tree of Life mark on the back of her hand. She was taking a huge gamble—betting that the Tree of Life’s power could protect her, that the alchemical steam wouldn’t be her end. If she could just endure the steam’s release, she was certain a solution would present itself.

Meanwhile, Steam Man twisted and contorted. Black mist poured from his ruptured armor in wild streams as he teetered on the brink of a full meltdown. Xing Mo quickened her pace, starlight swirling from her wand.

But just then, a flash of ice-blue fire shot across the air—

Humm—

The ice-blue fire struck Steam Man square in the chest. Almost instantly, a massive spatial bubble formed around him, trapping the spewing black mist inside. The space within the bubble froze, and Steam Man stood completely still, frost creeping across his bronze armor.

Xing Mo halted, eyes wide, and turned toward the source of the fire. There, rising from the ground, was Vivian. Her clothes were torn and ragged, revealing the grotesque sight of a beating heart and slowly mending ribs and flesh. Her her eyes—vertical slits now—burned with frostfire.

"Ant..." Vivian's voice rasped through the air, thick with authority. Blood dripped from her mouth as she spoke, "Kneel!"