Chapter 467: The Fracture Opens
The sky above Myrta burned.
Ignis hovered high above the plaza, her crimson wings spread wide, each beat sending waves of heat rippling through the air. Flames coiled around her arms and shoulders like living serpents, growing brighter, hotter, until her entire form blazed like a second sun.
Then she dove.
It wasn’t a controlled descent. It was a meteor.
"Burn them all—!"
A torrent of fire erupted from her body, streaking downward in a blazing pillar. The mages below reacted instantly, raising their staves and chanting in unison. A dome of overlapping barriers shimmered into existence above them, layered and pulsing with magical light. The flames slammed into it, exploding outward in waves of orange and gold. The ground cracked. The air itself seemed to scream.
But when the fire finally faded, the barrier still held.
Ignis landed hard in the center of the plaza, the stone shattering beneath her feet. Before the mages could catch their breath, she swung her arm in a wide arc. A blade of pure flame sliced through the air and struck the barrier dead center.
CRACK!
The dome shattered like glass.
The mages stumbled back, some thrown off their feet. Smoke rose from the broken remnants of their spell. And in the middle of that smoke, Ignis stood tall, wings flaring, eyes burning like embers. She rolled her shoulders and grinned, showing teeth.
"Alright." Her voice echoed across the plaza, wild and sharp. "Who’s the strongest here?"
Wincent stepped forward from the smoke, calm and unhurried. His mechanical arm gleamed under the firelight. As he walked, the metal began to glow until veins of orange light pulsed through the joints like molten blood. Steam hissed from the seams, curling around his shoulders.
He stopped a few paces away from Ignis and raised his mechanical hand, flexing the fingers once.
"That would be me."
Ignis tilted her head, eyes narrowing. "You? The one with the shiny arm?"
Wincent smiled, calm. "That’s right."
Before he even finished the word, his body blurred.
He closed the distance in an instant, the ground cracking where he had stood. His mechanical fist swung toward Ignis’s face with crushing force, orange heat trailing behind it like a comet.
*BOOM*
Ignis caught it with her palm.
The impact shattered the stones around them, sending a shockwave through the plaza. Flames scattered in every direction. But Ignis didn’t move. She stood there, smoke curling from her fingers, her grin spreading wide.
"Is this the part where I’m supposed to be scared?"
She tightened her grip around his metal fist. The sound of grinding steel filled the air.
Wincent’s eyes narrowed. His arm hissed again, releasing a burst of steam as the joints strained.
Ignis pulled him forward and drove her other fist straight into his chest.
BAM!
Wincent flew backward, crashing through a row of wooden stalls and stone pillars. Dust and debris exploded into the air. The mages and soldiers scrambled to move out of the way.
Before the rubble could settle, Ignis launched herself after him.
She came down like a blazing hammer. But Wincent rolled aside at the last second, his mechanical hand shooting up to catch her ankle. With a violent twist, he slammed her into the ground.
CRACK!
The plaza split beneath her. Dust rose in a thick cloud.
But Ignis only laughed.
"That’s more like it!"
She kicked him off and rose to her feet, flames already surging around her again. Her wings snapped open, shattering nearby debris.
"You’re fun, old man. Let’s keep going!"
Wincent wiped blood from the corner of his mouth with his other hand, the metal arm still hissing steam. He smiled, but this time it was colder, sharper.
"As long as you don’t regret it, Wildbeast."
Giorno, who was still standing near the mage circle, stomped his foot in frustration.
"Hey! If you’re going to fight, don’t do it near here, Wincent! You’ll destroy everything!"
Wincent, without looking back, raised his left hand slightly.
"Relax. I’ve already taken care of it."
At that moment, Ignis leaped toward him with incredible speed. Flames blazed wildly across her body, and her fist was already cocked back, ready to strike.
"Take this—!"
But before the blow could land, Wincent’s mechanical arm pulsed with pale blue light. The air in front of them suddenly cracked.
A fracture split reality itself, a jagged tear in the air that shimmered like broken glass. Ignis’s eyes widened as the space around her warped.
"Eh...?"
She was pulled inside in an instant, vanishing from the plaza.
Wincent glanced back at Giorno, calm as ever.
"Don’t order me around, Giorno."
Then he stepped through the crack himself.
Giorno clicked his tongue and crossed his arms, glaring at the spot where the two had disappeared.
"Tch. I should be the one saying that."
The crack sealed itself a second later, leaving no trace behind as if nothing had happened at all.
A subordinate of Giorno, still staring at the spot where reality had sealed itself, spoke in a low voice.
"That arm is truly unpredictable... He can tear open reality itself."
Giorno let out a sharp breath, his fists clenched.
"He’s always been the type to hide things. That’s exactly what worries me." His jaw tightened. "I thought I could control him. Damn it!"
He tore off his glove and hurled it to the ground in frustration. Then he turned sharply toward the Javelin Squad, his eyes burning with cold fury.
"Move out! We’re taking this city tonight!"
The armored knights straightened in unison, weapons already drawn.
"Yes, my lord!"
Gill, who had been watching from the side with a lazy expression, stretched his arms above his head.
"Well then, since my business is already done, I’ll take my leave now."
He turned to walk away, but before he could take two steps, Giorno’s cold voice cut through the air.
"Who said you could leave?"
Gill stopped mid-step and glanced back over his shoulder. His expression was still relaxed, but his eyes sharpened.
"Heh. So now I’m a hostage?"
Giorno didn’t smile. He stepped closer, his voice cold.
"I don’t like people leaving before my business is finished."
Gill let out a long sigh, shrugged, then turned fully to face him.
"I’m not your subordinate, Duke." His tone was lazy, but there was an edge beneath it. "My business with Wincent is done. Whether you attack this city or burn it down, I don’t care."
Giorno stared at him for a few seconds, then smirked.
"Then you won’t mind if I keep you here as bait."
Gill raised an eyebrow. "Bait?"
Giorno gestured toward two members of the Javelin Squad. They moved to block Gill’s path.
"Until Wincent returns, you’re staying right here."
Gill sighed and smiled faintly.
"You really are a troublesome type."