Why has the top tier of the strength rankings never changed?
Why has the IQ of all Rhodes Island Doctors frequently decreased?
Why does Rua Niu stay up late designing levels, constantly screaming in agony?
Who was responsible for the instant evaporation of fully-equipped Stone Golems? BOSSes blocked at the door and instantly killed—was it human or ghost?
And who, by her own power, granted the Imperial Guard the ability to ignore invincibility and instantly kill?
It's her, it's her, it's her, our one and only True God—
Inside the small wooden hut where the Witch Doctor resided, raging flames had now ignited, causing the logs used to build the house to crackle and pop.
And within the house, a young woman, wielding a crimson two-handed greatsword, was surrounded by the flames.
No, not surrounded by flames, but rather—the flames embraced her!
"Surtr... Sister 42?"
Looking at the young woman before him, with two horns on her head, fiery red hair, a charcoal-black dress, and sparks flying in her violet eyes, Goki subconsciously whispered the name.
There are many characters in Arknights, almost two hundred if you count the upcoming ones, but the most impressive one, to Goki, was the one standing before him.
A demoness who combined both beauty and strength, embodying great power and coolness—Surtr!
Seeing her in Sargon was a great surprise to Goki. It shouldn't be, wasn't she picked up by Rhodes Island Operators within the Ursus Empire?
"Who are you—where am I?!"
Her purple eyes were filled with vigilance and hostility. Surtr gripped her greatsword tightly, pointing it at the three people standing at the doorway, and questioned them loudly.
She seemed particularly enraged, and that anger transformed into tangible flames, spontaneously generating around her body, scorching the exposed black Originium on her to a fiery red.
Although it couldn't melt the black stockings on her legs, even several meters away, Goki could feel the rising heatwave.
"Goki, she's very strong—should we go?"
Stepping forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with Goki, Skadi felt her own blood boiling, seemingly roasted by the flames before her.
Skadi felt two instinctive emotions emerge: fear and longing.
Naturally, Goki, who also had Skadi's Seaborn Blood flowing within him, coexisting peacefully with liquid Originium, also felt this instinctive desire.
It was like an ordinary person seeing a wild boar; they would think about how delicious wild boar meat was, but also realize that the thing could ram them to death.
Having been in Terra for so long, having faced the First Speaker, a kin of the Seaborn God, and having fought against the kin of the out-of-control God of Burning Wind, Goki already understood what it meant when his blood reacted this way.
Evidently, the Sarkaz young woman before him was entwined with the power of a god.
Although different from the power of the God of Burning Wind, it was remarkably similar, which was why Goki's bottled flame reacted to her.
"Ha... she looks scorching hot. I came back this time to ask about the legends of the Flame Demon. She wouldn't be it, would she?"
Smashing her emerald, hammer-like staff onto the ground, Gavial resisted the oncoming hot wind, complaining while simultaneously casting a sparkling Originium Arts spell on the heads of Goki and Skadi, healing their scorched skin.
Medical Originium Arts were extremely precious, but they weren't like in games, where they could truly revive the dead and heal all wounds, instantly bringing someone to full health.
"Alright, want to fight? You've been buffed—go!"
Ordinary medical Originium Arts typically squeezed the recipient's physical potential, overdrawing their cellular vitality like a loan to repair wounds, so medical casters had to use them judiciously.
However, Goki and Skadi didn't have to worry about this; Gavial knew that these two were never short on cellular vitality.
Although the green light above their heads felt a bit strange, having a healer around was quite reassuring.
"No, no, no, we're not here to fight! Young lady, calm down, calm down. Tomimi picked you up from the forest, and you've been recovering in this little hut. Don't you remember?"
The three women present were all brimming with Battle Intent, but after recognizing Surtr, Goki immediately suppressed the Battle Intent in his blood and put away his Saw Cleaver.
"We mean no harm, you are safe, trust us, we don't need to fight."
His voice was deep and friendly, Goki's expression was earnest, and he held out his empty hands to show he was no threat.
"Goki... I trust you."
"You, guy, be more vigilant! Don't just stop in your tracks when you see a pretty girl—ha, alright, we'll do it your way."
Skadi and Gavial watched Goki's actions with some concern. The hostile Sarkaz before them exuded an exceptionally powerful aura; even the Abyssal Hunter felt threatened.
Goki doing this was undoubtedly entrusting his life and safety to others.
However, Skadi saw Goki put down his weapon and likewise put away her greatsword; she now trusted him unconditionally.
Gavial looked at the two of them, and finally could only reluctantly follow suit.
"Trust me—we can talk this through."
This was said both to Surtr and to Skadi and Gavial behind him. Goki did not want a conflict.
Of course, this was assuming Goki recognized the other party. Even if the berserk individual before him was another lovely but unfamiliar Sarkaz girl, Goki would not put down his weapon.
"Do you have any idea about your body? Tomimi said you've been in a coma and running a high fever ever since you got here. Are you aware of your condition?"
Feeling that Surtr might be in some strange state, Goki wasn't clear about the details and could only try to ask her what was wrong.
There was no other way. As the sole True God of six-stars, Sister 42's Operator profile was pitifully sparse. She herself was an amnesiac child, and Goki truly knew nothing about her background.
If he had to say something he knew, it would probably be—she likes ice cream?
However, before coming to Rhodes Island, she had been wandering continuously between the nations of the world, searching for herself, so her appearance in Sargon was not strange.
So, Sargon might be one stop on Sister 42's journey... or perhaps the starting point?
"Who am I... how did I get this sword, and how did I—"
Seeing that the man before her seemed to have given up the intention to fight, Surtr lowered the greatsword she held, no longer pointing it at Goki. Instead, she released her left hand and held her horn.
"I remember, fire, in the south, beneath a temple. This sword, it whispers, I found it, but forgot..."
Clutching her forehead, Surtr fell into a daze, seemingly struggling to think, uttering fragmented phrases.
"It is blocked in the south, the Seal is weakening, I must stop those people from taking the key... Ah!"
Her expression became utterly contorted with pain, yet Surtr's mind seemed to experience a brief moment of clarity.
The flames around her solidified, as if manifesting the upper body of a demon. While her power became even more terrifying, the temperature in the room suddenly dropped.
Surtr's purple eyes were no longer lost, but exceptionally clear.
Then, her crimson lips parted, and from her mouth came cold and rational words.
"My name is Surtr. I don't have much time to be conscious, just listen to me, don't ask why, I hate wasting time—the temple here Seals something extraordinary. Some of it has already escaped, but I dealt with it. Now, a group of bored idiots has broken in. If you don't want the Rainforest to turn into a desert, you'd better stop these fools from destroying the Seal."
In an almost commanding tone, Surtr quickly introduced everything she knew to the strangers before her.
Feeling her "self" draining away, Surtr showed a bitter smile. She knew that the memories she had worked so hard to find might disappear again after obtaining this sword.
She felt incredibly strong, impossibly strong, but if she lost control, many people would die.
"Alright, now, you three, call everyone and get as far away from me as possible—don't expect me to thank you. Not harming you is already the best repayment."
The brief clarity lasted less than half a minute. Flames began to emerge from Surtr's eyes again, and her body stiffened once more. She seemed to be trying her best to control herself, while constantly waving her hands at them, urging them away.
"Don't think too much, you're no match for me. Hurry, run as far as you can."
Meanwhile, observing the Sarkaz's state, Skadi suddenly clapped her hands, a spark of inspiration hitting her.
"Goki, don't you think this person's state is a bit like..."
"—Specter, right?"
Goki nodded, looking at Surtr, who was struggling between clarity and confusion, with a knowing smile.
"Remember how we dealt with Specter?"
Looking at Surtr, Goki rubbed his hands. He knew what he had to do.
"Understood."
Skadi nodded, and without giving the other party time to react, she stomped on the ground, kicking up a gust of wind!
Bang—
"Damn it, I told you to leave, I can't control—ugh! laevatein!"
Seeing the three people attack her, Surtr could no longer control her flames, unleashing scorching high temperatures indiscriminately, and her extinguished flame sword reignited.
Boom—
The mechanical greatsword, capable of stirring tides, also roared, and with a dazzling red light, it collided with the blazing sharp sword.
Clang!
Sparks flew, flames surged, and the scorching high temperature reddened Skadi's skin, but the Aegir-tech forged blade resisted the thousand-degree heat, bouncing back the flame sword with unmatched force.
Immediately after, facing the opponent's burning body temperature, Skadi did not hesitate. She firmly gripped Surtr's arms with both hands, directly pinning her in her embrace.
"Goki!"
And as soon as her voice fell, a black shadow burst through the flames, arriving in front of Surtr.
The scorched Hunter uniform genuinely began to char, and the skin on the inside also burned and peeled, revealing bloody red muscles. Goki ignored the pain, and cupped Surtr's face with his hand.
"Good, now—look into my eyes!"
------------------------------
I've just released 40 brand-new chapters on Patreon!
If you're enjoying the story and want to read ahead, feel free to check out my Patreon. Every bit of support truly means a lot to me.
👉 patreon.com/Kazenova223
Thank you so much for reading and supporting the story! And if you're liking it here, don't forget to drop a Power Stone to show your support!