Without hesitation, Lucia rushed at full speed, knowing something had happened to them, and worry gnawed at her.
Meanwhile, Victoria and Nova were in serious trouble—the angel was far too powerful. He even mocked them, treating the fight as nothing more than a game, and yet he was still holding back.
Victoria seized the moment to ask why he wanted to kill them both. The angel replied that what he truly wanted was the ring the human carried around his neck.
Still, Victoria demanded answers. Why would he want a simple ring? The angel explained that it was no ordinary trinket—it had been forged by the archangel Mikael and granted immense angelic power, most notably the ability to manipulate and cloud minds.
Only then did Victoria realize why Nova seemed indifferent to everything. That ring was the reason behind his actions.
Even though the smartest choice would have been to hand it over, she refused. She didn't know what might happen if she took it from Nova, or if the angel would even spare their lives.
Tired of waiting, the angel lunged at them—but just then, Lucia appeared, dragging him away.
Confused, Victoria grabbed Nova's hand, and while the angel was gone, they ran as far as they could until they reached a waterfall. There, Lucia reappeared, grabbed them both, and leapt into the depths. The angel returned, but by then, the three had already vanished from his sight.
Once out of the river, the trio collapsed, exhausted yet relieved, believing the ordeal was over—or so it seemed.
Crack.
The snap of a branch sent all three on edge, yet nothing appeared. Suddenly, something invisible took shape and struck Nova by surprise, knocking him unconscious. Lucia leapt forward to attack, but a beam of energy locked her in place, and Victoria was struck down.
Right before losing consciousness, she glimpsed a robotic girl standing before her. The stranger spoke only one thing:
"You, human… how pathetic."
"Who are you?"
"Heh… who am I? I'm someone who had her BROTHER stolen from her!"