The giant dragons were advancing—
These massive creatures wantonly vented flames within the city, beginning to disperse the mist that obscured vision.
"Hahahahahahaha—"
"Hahahahahaha—"
Jeanne [Alter] held her hands high, laughing recklessly like a villain.
It was clear that she was genuinely happy about being able to command dragons at will.
"Hey, Ian, if there are other worlds—"
"Do I really have a chance to become that kind of big villain?"
Laughing somewhat beside herself, Jeanne [Alter] looked at the man beside her and asked.
"Mn, what do you think?"
"..."
Ian's words made Jeanne [Alter]'s heart skip a beat.
"Is... is there really?"
"Then I won't laugh anymore."
Seeing the girl instantly rein in her expression, Ian felt it was somewhat subtle.
The Caster-class Jeanne [Alter] was quite different from any version of her in his impression.
Perhaps—
Once realizing she shouldered the responsibility of saving the world, her fundamental cognition underwent a considerable degree of change.
Thinking of it this way, Ian felt a few more measures of pity for Jeanne [Alter].
"Smile, why not smile?"
The man's fingers pressed against the corners of Jeanne [Alter]'s lips.
"It's much cuter this way."
"You..."
Jeanne [Alter] shyly avoided Ian's gaze.
"Um, you came from that place called Chaldea, right—"
"Mn, what about it?"
"Nothing." Jeanne [Alter] said cautiously. "Before, with Kiyohime and Mordred, you said you would take them back to Chaldea."
"Then what about me..."
"Take."
Without waiting for Jeanne [Alter] to finish, Ian answered her question directly.
"I intended to do so from the very beginning. Raising you into a Witch isn't to use you and throw you away."
"You, must accompany me loyally forever, understand?"
"Eh?!"
Jeanne [Alter] blushed.
"You say accompany, so accompany it is!"
"Unless..."
"Unless what?"
"Unless you promise—" Jeanne [Alter] pressed her finger against her chin, glancing sideways slightly, looking somewhat embarrassed, "That I can go to bed with you immediately whenever I want to."
"This isn't to please you! I... have to get something out of you, right!"
"Otherwise, I will be very lonely."
Just as the girl finished speaking, she heard the man's breathing become heavy.
She looked straight over, finding Ian looking at her like a wolf.
"Jeanne, you smell really good right now—"
"I promise you."
"You said it—"
"If you can't do it, I will absolutely take revenge on you!"
And so—
A frantically commanding Witch appeared on the streets.
Wherever her finger pointed, the giant dragon's flames surged there.
And this sweeping fire, akin to destruction, soon achieved results.
The mist gradually dispersed.
The true face of Orleans City was thoroughly revealed.
One could see the city's layout had long been redefined—
Those revealed streets formed a layout like a surging vortex in totality, and in its center, a high tower stood impressively.
Those who had rushed from various places, arriving here by relying on their last will, were already dying.
But they were still crawling on the ground that had long turned into a sea of fire, their mouths still shouting words like "Don't abandon us"—
This bizarre scene seen after dispersing the mist made Jeanne [Alter] feel uneasy.
But Ian spoke up at this moment:
"Let's go."
"We'll go take a look at that tower."
Before the girl had time to answer, her hand was directly grasped by the man, leading her forward.
The giant dragons, unable to cross those obstacles, stood like statues in various parts of the city.
Along the way, those crawling humans became increasingly numerous.
Regarding Ian and Jeanne [Alter], who were still able to stand, they naturally treated the two as anomalies.
Some even reached out their hands directly, wanting to drag him and her down into the mire together.
Of course.
Ian did not regard these wriggling people as his own kind at all.
Every hand that reached out was precisely severed by his [Sword of Slaanesh], accompanied by a penetrating strike that ended their life.
Jeanne [Alter] was not idle either.
The path the two walked was ignited by her; thus, there were no more crawlers following and wailing.
"You know your stuff."
"Hmph, of course—I've wanted to do this for a long time."
Jeanne [Alter] turned her head to look at the continuous flames.
"This is the coolest thing, right?"
However—
At the moment they finally arrived at the bottom of the tower, the scene before them exceeded Ian and Jeanne [Alter]'s expectations once again.
Two crystal coffins were simply placed there.
Those crawlers that he and she had failed to kill were kowtowing one after another.
Blood flooded across the entire ground until it completely dried up, becoming part of the spiral pattern.
"Forgive us—"
"Let us go—"
Pleading sounds like these existed like echoes in this oppressive space.
But compared to this...
The two people existing within the crystal coffins had already seized all of Ian's attention.
On the left was Fujimaru Ritsuka;
And on the right was Mash.
Yes—
The two who had been out of contact for a long time were lying there motionless, becoming objects of prayer for these crawlers like the remains of saviors.
Jeanne [Alter] immediately noticed Ian's abnormality.
"Those two, could they be the companions you spoke of?"
"More than companions—"
"It is an identity far more important than that."
"..."
Not another word was said.
Jeanne [Alter] crossed her hands, instantly forming a magic circle and releasing scorching flames.
The high-temperature crimson wind blew her hair, nearly lifting that witch hat directly.
The crawlers who almost covered the coffins let out bursts of miserable screams in the fire; it was a scene akin to hell.
However—
After the flames passed, only gray-black bones were added to the crystal.
The two young girls existing inside had not suffered any disturbance.
"How can this be?"
Jeanne [Alter] became anxious.
She tried again and again, but the result obtained each time was the same.
The man stopped the Witch.
"That's enough."
"Let me try again!" Jeanne [Alter] held the man's hand with a face full of anxiety. "Maybe it will work this time?"
"It won't—"
"It cannot be opened from this side."
Hearing this, Jeanne [Alter] froze for a moment.
"Then isn't there simply no way to rescue them?!"
"That's not necessarily true."
Ian's hand rested on Jeanne [Alter]'s buttocks.
"Inside something rock-hard, there isn't necessarily a lack of soft parts, is there?"
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