Halochassis

Chapter 48 – A Grave Threat

Lireina’s third form had enhanced senses far beyond those of an ordinary elves. Every sound, movement, and disturbance in the surrounding mana became much clearer to her, but her most remarkable ability was her heightened magical perception. As her transformed body continuously absorbed the mana drifting through the atmosphere, she could sense the presence of living creatures from great distances. Life energy had its own distinct sensation, almost like a scent carried by the wind. To Lireina, every living being left behind an invisible trace, allowing her to distinguish one person from another even when she could not see them.

She had become especially familiar with the life energies of her fellow Celestial Wardens. After fighting alongside them for years, she could recognize their presence almost instinctively. Each of them had a unique magical signature that felt different from the others, like familiar scents that could never be mistaken. Garruk Stonehill’s life force was particularly easy for her to recognize because of his stout body and powerful mana. That was why the sudden disappearance of his presence struck Lireina like a physical blow. One moment, she could sense his life energy lingering behind her. The next, there was nothing. The air itself seemed strangely empty.

Lireina immediately stopped her pursuit of Azazel and Samael. Her expression changed as a terrible realization slowly settled into her mind.

“No way. It can’t be…” Lireina muttered.

Her six enormous wings suddenly flapped backward, each powerful movement sending violent currents of air through the ruined streets. The momentum of her chase was abruptly broken as she hovered in place, her golden hair whipping wildly around her face. Her enhanced senses desperately searched the surrounding atmosphere for even the faintest trace of Garruk’s life force, but there was only the lingering smell of dust, burning stone, and spilled mana.

Nothing.

Lireina turned around and flew back toward the place where she had left Garruk to deal with the two Halochassis. Her heart pounded harder with every second, and a growing sense of dread tightened her chest. She flew over the shattered buildings of the Stonehill District, passing through clouds of dust and drifting debris. The once luxurious district had been reduced to a battlefield, with collapsed structures, broken streets, and scattered pieces of masonry covering the ground.

Then she saw them.

Two Halochassis stood among the ruins.

Mastema and Armaros were motionless, their massive armored bodies illuminated by the flickering glow of burning buildings. Both machines were looking down at something lying between them. At first, Lireina refused to believe what her eyes were showing her.

Garruk Stonehill was lying on the ground.

The dwarven Celestial Warden was completely motionless. His heavy body, once capable of swinging a gigantic warhammer with enough strength to shatter stone, now lay lifeless among the rubble. His face was pale, his chest no longer rising, and his eyes were closed beneath his heavy brow. The air around him carried no trace of the powerful life force Lireina had known for years.

“Enemy has successfully been eliminated,” Mastema said coldly.

The Halochassis looked down at Garruk without the slightest hint of sympathy.

“This is what you deserve, you garbage dwarf.”

“Good. Now we have to deal with the Untouchable Windwalker. We will have to regroup with Azazel and—”

Armaros suddenly stopped speaking.

Both Halochassis felt it at the same time.

A terrifying glare descended upon them from above.

The air became unnaturally still.

Then a shadow appeared over the ruins.

“Noooo!”

Lireina came crashing down like a meteor.

The impact created a deafening explosion of wind that tore through the battlefield. Dust and chunks of stone were blasted into the air as a massive shockwave spread outward from her landing point. Broken pieces of the Stonehill District were sent flying like fragments of glass, while Mastema and Armaros were violently hurled backward. Their armored bodies slammed through walls and piles of rubble before finally skidding across the ground.

“Fuck!” Armaros cried.

Lireina barely noticed them.

Her entire attention was focused on Garruk.

She immediately dropped to her knees and pulled the massive dwarf's head onto her lap. His skin was cold beneath her trembling fingers. She gently poked his cheek, as though expecting him to suddenly open his eyes and complain about being treated like a child.

“Garruk?”

There was no response.

She shook his head gently.

“Garruk, wake up.”

Nothing.

Her breathing became shaky. She placed one hand against his chest, desperately searching for even the faintest heartbeat. Her magical senses reached into his body, examining every trace of energy she could find. There was no life force. No pulse. No response.

“No…”

Lireina refused to accept it.

She quickly raised her hand and summoned her wind magic. A stream of compressed air flowed toward Garruk's mouth and entered his lungs, forcing air into his deflated chest. His body moved slightly from the pressure, but there was no natural response. Lireina tried again, pushing more air into his lungs, her magic swirling around his body like an invisible current.

“Come on…”

Her voice cracked.

“Breathe!”

She poured more wind into him.

But it was already too late.

Garruk's brain had been deprived of oxygen for far too long. Even if she managed to force air back into his lungs, the damage had already become irreversible. His body could no longer respond to her magic because the person inside it was already gone.

Lireina's hands slowly stopped moving.

Her emerald eyes trembled as she stared at Garruk's lifeless face. The reality finally broke through her desperate hope.

Garruk was dead.

“Garruk…” Lireina whispered.

A tear rolled down her cheek and fell onto the dwarf's face.

“I’m sorry.”

More tears followed, dropping onto his armor and mixing with the dust covering his body. Lireina lowered her head, her shoulders trembling as the sounds of battle continued around her. The burning ruins crackled in the distance, stones collapsed with heavy crashes, and the wind carried the bitter smell of smoke through the destroyed district.

Yet none of it mattered to her anymore.

Garruk was gone.

Behind her, Mastema and Armaros slowly recovered from the impact. Their armored bodies groaned as they pushed themselves out of the rubble. Seeing Lireina distracted by her grief, they immediately prepared to attack.

Mastema raised her weapon and charged.

Armaros opened his armored jaws, revealing the fiery glow building deep within his throat.

But before either of them could reach her, a transparent sphere of wind suddenly surrounded Lireina.

Mastema's attack struck the barrier with a violent metallic impact.

“My psychic powers won't cut through!” Mastema said.

Armaros unleashed a torrent of molten magma from his mouth. The blazing stream crashed against the wind barrier, filling the battlefield with an intense wave of heat and orange light. Yet the barrier remained intact, its surface rippling like water while the magma was pushed away by the swirling currents.

“Even my magma breath won't damage this thing!” Armaros said.

Lireina did not even look at them.

She gently brushed the dirt from Garruk's face. Her trembling fingers moved across his forehead before she slowly closed his eyes.

For a moment, she simply stared at him.

Then she carefully lowered his head from her lap and placed his lifeless body onto the ground. Her movements were gentle and respectful, completely different from the savage fury she had displayed moments earlier.

Lireina remained kneeling beside him for several seconds.

Then she stood.

Her six wings slowly spread behind her.

Tears continued flowing from her emerald eyes, but the sorrow in her expression was beginning to disappear. In its place was something far more frightening.

Fury.

“You did it again…” Lireina muttered.

Her voice was quiet, almost too quiet for the two Halochassis to hear.

“You Halochassis already killed Cattleo.”

She clenched her fists.

“And now… Garruk.”

The surrounding wind began to change.

The air pressure dropped sharply as mana gathered around her body. Dust and loose fragments of stone began floating upward, circling her like tiny planets caught within an invisible storm. Her six wings spread even wider, and the sound of rushing wind gradually grew louder across the ruined district.

“I will never forgive you all…”

The wind barrier suddenly dissipated.

Mastema and Armaros prepared themselves.

Then hundreds of magical flintlocks appeared around Lireina.

They manifested from swirling currents of wind, each floating perfectly in the air with its barrel aimed directly at the two Halochassis. Their metallic bodies gleamed beneath the burning sky as countless magical circles formed around their muzzles.

For the first time, Mastema and Armaros realized that Lireina's grief had not weakened her.

It had made her more dangerous.

The flintlocks fired simultaneously.

A thunderous barrage erupted across the ruins as hundreds of magical bullets tore through the air, leaving glowing trails behind them. The sound of gunfire echoed between the shattered buildings while Lireina stood motionless at the center of the storm, tears still running down her face.

It was literally raining bullets.

Hundreds of magical flintlock rifles hovered around Lireina like a deadly storm, their barrels flashing one after another as they continuously fired into the battlefield. The deafening gunshots echoed throughout the ruins of Stonehill District, each shot producing a sharp crack that blended into a relentless roar. Magical bullets tore through the air in glowing streaks, smashing into buildings, shredding piles of rubble, and forcing Armaros and Mastema to defend themselves without even a moment to counterattack.

“There are too many!” Armaros shouted as he raised his massive arms to shield himself.

Mastema immediately stepped in front of him. Her horned white armor glowed as she extended both hands, using her psychic powers to create a massive forcefield around herself and Armaros. The translucent barrier expanded into a dome, its surface shimmering with invisible energy as hundreds of bullets slammed into it from every direction.

Every impact created a violent ripple across the forcefield.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The bullets kept coming.

There was barely a moment between each shot. The constant barrage filled the air with smoke, sparks, and fragments of shattered stone. Mastema gritted her teeth as she struggled to maintain the barrier, her psychic energy being drained faster than she could replenish it.

Cracks began spreading across the forcefield.

At first, they were small, hairline fractures.

Then they multiplied.

The entire barrier began to resemble a giant pane of glass that was about to shatter.

“I can't hold on!” Mastema cried.

High above the battlefield, Samael saw the cracks spreading across Mastema's defensive barrier. His blue armored body hovered in the sky, his mechanical wings spreading outward as countless metallic fragments detached from them. Each fragment rotated in midair before glowing with concentrated blue mana.

“Clear the way!”

The metal wing fragments suddenly fired.

Thin mana lasers shot downward like a volley of glowing spears, striking the floating flintlock rifles one after another. Several rifles exploded in midair, their magical components breaking apart into fragments of light before disappearing.

But there were simply too many.

For every rifle destroyed, several more took its place.

“Damn it!” Samael shouted.

Azazel also joined the assault.

Shin spread Azazel's energy wings wide, and countless glowing projectiles began forming around him. The energy condensed into arrow-shaped bolts that hovered for a brief moment before being released in a massive volley.

The sky filled with energy arrows.

They rained down upon the floating flintlocks, destroying dozens of rifles in rapid succession. Explosions of magical energy erupted across the battlefield as the rifles were knocked out of the air.

Slowly, the number of flintlocks surrounding Lireina began to decrease.

Armaros noticed it.

His crimson armor shifted as his mechanical frame began transforming. Plates separated and rearranged themselves, mechanical components folding and expanding as his humanoid shape rapidly changed into something far more monstrous - a dragon.

Armaros slammed his massive claws into the ground before launching himself forward. His jaws opened wide, revealing an intense orange glow building deep within his throat. Heat washed over the battlefield as flames began swirling inside his mouth, growing brighter and brighter until the surrounding air itself seemed to distort.

“Now!”

Armaros charged straight toward Lireina.

His dragonic body moved like a living projectile, with the force of his movement sending dust and rubble flying behind him. The flames inside his mouth expanded into a roaring furnace.

At point-blank range, Armaros unleashed his attack.

A vast sea of flames erupted from his mouth.

The explosion of heat swallowed the space in front of him, turning the battlefield into a wall of orange fire. The flames roared so loudly that the surrounding ruins trembled from the force of the blast.

But Lireina was already moving.

She twisted her body at the last possible moment and performed an acrobatic somersault through the flames. Her six wings folded tightly against her body as she spun through the attack, narrowly avoiding the burning torrent.

She landed directly on Armaros' back.

Before the Halochassis could react, Lireina raised one leg.

Then she kicked.

BOOM!

The sound was so violent that it resembled an explosion.

The force of Lireina's kick traveled through Armaros' entire body. His armor cracked and shattered as the impact tore through the Halochassis, sending massive armored plates flying in different directions.

Armaros' body was forced halfway into the ground.

The crimson armor covering his body was blown away, exposing the person inside.

Adzeel's face became visible beneath the shattered armor, along with his left shoulder and left leg. Blood immediately began running from the corner of his mouth as his body struggled to remain upright.

[Hybrid Armor Depleted]

“Gah!”

Adzeel collapsed onto one knee.

His breathing became heavy as pain spread through his chest. He could feel several ribs grinding painfully beneath his skin, broken by the sheer force of Lireina's kick.

Yet despite the agony, Adzeel smiled.

It was not the smile of someone afraid of death.

It was the smile of someone who was enjoying the fight.

Lireina stepped toward him and raised one of her magical pistols. The barrel stopped directly in front of Adzeel's forehead.

“You are the bandit leader we fought months ago,” Lireina muttered.

Her emerald eyes narrowed.

“So you are Armaros.”

Adzeel's smile widened.

Blood trickled down his lips as he stared directly into Lireina's eyes.

Before he could answer, a sudden blur appeared behind her.

“Double Accel!”

Azazel exploded forward.

Shin activated the Halochassis' acceleration system, causing Azazel to dash across the battlefield so quickly that several afterimages remained behind him. His armored leg swung toward Lireina's side, aiming to kick her away from Adzeel.

Lireina's instincts immediately reacted.

She twisted her body and narrowly avoided the kick.

The air from Azazel's passing strike blew through her hair as she jumped backward. She landed several meters away before spreading her wings and stabilizing herself in the air.

Azazel stopped beside Adzeel.

“Back off, Lireina Ashford,” Azazel said.

Lireina stared at him.

Her pistol remained raised, but her finger slowly relaxed against the trigger.

“Azazel…”

For the first time since Garruk's death, her voice carried something other than fury.

It carried confusion.

“Why are you doing this?”

She stared at the crimson Halochassis.

“Why are you killing my party members?”

Her voice began trembling.

“Why… why are you hunting us, the Celestial Wardens?”

Azazel remained silent for several seconds.

Inside the Halochassis, Shin tightened his grip.

He could feel the weight of Lireina's words pressing against him.

“This is justice and vengeance, Lireina,” Azazel finally answered.

The crimson-purple eyes of Azazel began glowing brighter.

“Cattleo Vi Examillenia was executed for his human experimentations.”

Lireina's expression hardened.

“Zerova was also executed for killing dukes and duchesses for money.”

The wind around Lireina suddenly became still.

“And Garruk Stonehill was executed for engaging in sexual slave trading.”

Lireina's eyes widened slightly.

She stared at Azazel as the meaning of his words sank in.

“So you killed Zerova, huh…” Her voice became quieter. “No wonder she can no longer be found.”

For months, Lireina had wondered what had happened to the Shadow Queen. Zerova had simply disappeared without a trace, leaving behind rumors, unanswered questions, and a strange absence that Lireina had never been able to explain.

Now she finally knew.

Inside Azazel's cockpit, Shin quietly closed his eyes. His memories of the battle came rushing back. Shin took a slow breath.

“Yes,” he said softly.

His voice was almost drowned out by the wind outside.

“I killed her with my own hands.”

Lireina's expression froze.

The grief in her eyes slowly transformed into something darker.

She had already lost Cattleo.

Then Zerova disappeared.

Now Garruk was dead.

And standing before her was the person who had personally taken Zerova's life.

Lireina slowly closed her eyes.

The anger that had been burning inside her seemed to weaken for a moment as she lowered her head and released a long, heavy sigh. The sound was barely audible beneath the crackling flames and the distant rumble of collapsing buildings, but it carried the exhaustion of someone who had just been forced to confront a truth she desperately wished she could deny.

She knew about the rumors.

Lireina had heard stories about Cattleo, Zerova, and Garruk long before the Iron Bandits came after them. She knew about Cattleo's forbidden experiments on humans. She had heard accusations about Zerova murdering nobles for money. She also knew that Garruk had involved himself in the slave trade, exploiting helpless people for his own pleasure and profit.

If Lireina looked at the situation from the perspective of their victims, then perhaps the Iron Bandits were not completely wrong.

Perhaps what they were doing really was justice.

Perhaps those three Celestial Wardens had crossed a line that could not be ignored.

But that was only one side of the truth.

To Lireina, they were not merely criminals whose names appeared in rumors and accusations. They were her friends. They were people who had fought beside her when the Demon King threatened to destroy the world. She remembered standing shoulder to shoulder with them on battlefields, watching their backs while they watched hers. She remembered the blood, the injuries, the sleepless nights, and the countless battles they survived together.

They had saved the world together.

They had laughed together.

They had suffered together.

And now three of them were dead.

“Still, even if that is true…” Lireina finally said.

She opened her eyes and stared at Azazel.

Her voice was quiet, but there was still determination behind it.

“Killing is not the answer.”

Azazel tilted his head slightly.

“Would you say that to the monsters, the dark elves, and the demons you have killed as well?”

Lireina froze.

The question struck deeper than she expected.

Her grip on her magical pistol loosened.

For several seconds, she could not answer.

Images flashed through her mind. Monsters she had fought. Dark elves she had defeated. Demons whose lives had ended beneath her magic. Some had attacked innocent people. Others had threatened her companions. She had never stopped to question whether killing them was morally acceptable because, in the middle of battle, survival had always seemed more important than philosophy.

But now Azazel was forcing her to look at those memories from another perspective.

What made her different from him?

What made her killings justified while his were murder?

Lireina slowly lowered her pistol.

Her other weapon followed.

She clenched both of them tightly, so tightly that her fingers began to ache. She was afraid that if she loosened her grip, she might lose control of herself completely. Her emerald eyes trembled as she stared at Azazel, her thoughts trapped between two opposing truths.

Her friends had done terrible things.

But they were still her friends.

She could not simply erase years of friendship because of their crimes.

If only I had stopped them from doing those evil things…

Lireina's lips trembled.

It shouldn't have turned out like this.

She looked toward Garruk's lifeless body lying among the ruins.

Now three of them are dead.

The thought crushed her chest.

She had been a Celestial Warden for years. She had been praised as one of the heroes who saved the world. People called her the Untouchable Windwalker. Children admired her. Nobles praised her. Ordinary citizens saw her as a symbol of hope.

But none of those titles could bring her friends back.

Azazel stared at her in silence before finally speaking.

“Rejoice, Lireina Ashford.”

The other Iron Bandits looked toward him in surprise.

“You are not on the list.”

Lireina slowly looked up.

“At least, not yet.”

Azazel's crimson-violet eyes glowed through the darkness of his armor.

“But if you continue to fight for what is wrong, then your title as the savior of this world will not matter anymore.”

Lireina's pupils contracted. The words were not shouted. They did not need to be.

Azazel spoke with the calm certainty of someone delivering a sentence that had already been decided.

“We have no means to defeat you as of this moment.”

The surrounding Halochassis remained motionless, their weapons still aimed at Lireina.

“But if you don't let this go…” Azazel paused. His glowing eyes became even brighter. “We will kill your friends.”

Lireina's heart stopped.

“We will kill your lover.”

Her breath caught in her throat.

“We will kill your entire race.”

A cold sensation crawled across Lireina's skin.

Goosebumps appeared along her arms.

For the first time since the battle began, Lireina felt genuine fear.

Not fear for herself.

Fear for everyone else.

Her mind immediately went to Croft. Her best friend.

Then Shin. Her boyfriend.

Then the image of her homeland appeared in her mind, followed by the faces of the elves from the village where she had grown up. People she had known since childhood. People who had nothing to do with the crimes of the Celestial Wardens.

She imagined their homes burning.

She imagined Croft lying motionless on the ground.

She imagined Shin being killed because of her.

She imagined an entire village destroyed because she refused to stop fighting.

Lireina's hands began trembling.

Her wings slowly drooped.

The strength that had filled her body only moments ago seemed to drain away.

She could fight Azazel.

She could probably defeat Armaros and Mastema.

She might even survive against all of them.

But what happened afterward?

The Iron Bandits could simply hunt the people she loved.

They could wait until she was not there to protect them.

They could turn her victories into tragedies.

Lireina's eyes slowly lowered.

She could no longer bring herself to raise her weapons.

Azazel watched her carefully.

Then, without another word, the Halochassis began releasing a thick black smoke.

The dark cloud rapidly expanded across the battlefield, swallowing the ruins, the burning buildings, and the figures of the Iron Bandits. Within seconds, Lireina could barely see her own hands.

She immediately tried to sense their life energies.

But the strange smoke interfered with her magical perception, scattering their signatures and making them impossible to track.

“Wait!”

Lireina suddenly raised her head. She spread her wings and tried to clear the smoke with a powerful gust of wind. But by the time the black cloud began to disperse, there was nothing left.

The Halochassis were gone. The battlefield became silent once again. Only the crackling of distant flames and the soft movement of the wind remained. Lireina stood alone among the ruins. Her weapons hung uselessly at her sides. She stared at the empty space where Azazel had disappeared, her emerald eyes still trembling.

For the first time in her life, the Untouchable Windwalker did not know what she was supposed to do.