Hearing this, Siegfried glanced at his left arm and said, "Ah, this arm? Actually, I don't really understand it myself either."
"When the Stigmata space was still filled with Chimera's power, my consciousness was intermittent…"
"I couldn't figure out exactly what happened at all."
"For example, I should have tried to break out of imprisonment many times, but every time I couldn't remember how I was locked back up."
"Even… at this very moment, I still have a strong sense of unreality."
"It feels like my body is still sealed within the solid ice and boulders of the Stigmata space."
Theresa said upon hearing this, "…You really have suffered."
"However, Siegfried, do you know where the space we are currently in is?"
"It is obviously very different from the Kaslana Stigmata space."
Siegfried shook his head, "I haven't figured that out either, but there have always been clues that allow for a big fight."
"…?"
Just as a question mark appeared above Theresa's small head, Siegfried continued:
"Didn't I mention earlier that Kevin took away Chimera's power?"
"It was the direction in which that power disappeared that guided me to your vicinity."
Theresa said thoughtfully, "You mean… the reason you could find me here."
"Is because I once fought him in that kind of way?"
Siegfried said, "Oh, I hadn't thought of that… but what you said should make sense."
"Actually, I originally thought this clue of disappearing power could help me find Kevin."
"But since you're here, perhaps along this path we can still find other people sealed by World Serpent."
"Although it might be difficult for just the two of us to figure out the full picture… if we can keep rescuing more people, the day when many hands make light work will eventually come!"
Looking at the optimistic Siegfried, Theresa couldn't help but smile and say, "As expected of you. Even after going through so much, you're still as positive and optimistic as when you were young."
"Alright, let's move in the direction you mentioned."
"Who knows… maybe Kiana and the others are also investigating these matters from another direction."
After discussing the next steps, Siegfried directly chose a direction.
"Let's go this way."
The two continued forward through the bizarre and ever-changing space and soon encountered obstacles.
Theresa spoke, "Imaginary constructs… as expected, this place is still inextricably linked to Imaginary Space."
Siegfried said optimistically, "However, this is also a good opportunity."
"Theresa, shall we have a long-awaited battle side by side?"
"Though your shoulders probably can't even reach mine!"
These short two sentences directly caused the newly appointed Bishop of Schicksal to increase her attack power by several levels.
"The last sentence was unnecessary!"
Although she was very short, her monstrous strength was very real.
Not to mention that the power of Vishnu and her Valkyrie suit made Theresa fully deserving of the S-rank Valkyrie title.
Even without the Judgment of Shamash, Siegfried still appeared at ease.
He even had the mood to ask, "Theresa, does Kiana still skip classes at school?"
Theresa didn't react in time, "Ah? Why are you suddenly asking that?"
Siegfried said leisurely, "When a father meets a teacher, isn't this the kind of question he should ask?"
Theresa said awkwardly, "But St. Freya has already been suspended for two semesters."
"Speaking of which… Siegfried, you're using the power of Stigmata, right?"
Glancing at Siegfried fighting with a large fire-element sword, Theresa was somewhat curious.
Siegfried answered, "Of course. After all, the real Judgment of Shamash is still in World Serpent's hands."
"If I return to real space, I probably won't be able to use these powers anymore."
Theresa said kindly, "When that time comes, I can lend you Judas."
Siegfried immediately refused, "No thanks. I don't want to mess with my intervertebral discs over a half-ton guy like that."
"It might sound a bit funny, but when I was locked into the Stigmata space, the first thought that popped into my head was actually…"
"Oh no, does this mean I won't get to see the finale of the new theatrical version of Arhat?"
Theresa complained, "Only your brain would come up with that kind of thought."
"Kiana has been looking for you for so many years. Now you can finally meet her."
"Wouldn't it be better to think more about that instead of mentioning robot anime?"
Siegfried shook his head, "That won't do… when I mentioned Kiana earlier, I almost got distracted during the fight."
The two chatted casually while unleashing unimaginable power.
Although the constructs similar to Imaginary Tree God Envoys were difficult to deal with and appeared endlessly.
They were still beaten all over the ground by the tacit teamwork of two veteran powerhouses.
After finishing, Siegfried sighed, "Whew… finally cleaned up all these weird things."
"Wave after wave keeps pouring out. It feels like we poked someone's hornet's nest."
Theresa thought, "…If we can figure out the mechanism behind this, perhaps we can understand the current situation."
At this moment, a strangely familiar voice came.
"Indeed, but… from the perspective of saving time, how about I provide a little help here?"
Theresa immediately focused and said, "…This voice?"
Before she could find the source, the other party had already revealed herself.
It was Ai with her cabbage-like hair and twin tails who said, "Hello to you both. I am—"
"Due to the urgency of time, please allow me to skip further self-introduction for now."
"I hope you can trust that I am a friend from St. Freya's side."
Siegfried asked, "Urgency of time… are there pursuers?"
Ai corrected, "More accurately, there are blockades ahead and pursuers behind."
"According to the information I possess, in ten minutes, the spatial form here will be drastically rewritten by the authority of the Herrscher of the Void."
"In the worst case, we will be forced into a life-and-death encounter with a giant enemy unit."
Theresa quickly asked, "Herrscher of the Void? Kiana?"
Ai nodded, "Mm. They don't know that you have arrived at this Stigmata Plan main network called the Planetary Index."
"Therefore, they will use the authority of the Herrscher of the Void without hesitation in order to reclaim St. Freya."
"The principle behind this is very complicated to explain. You two only need to know that due to Lady Theresa's previous dream-devouring experience."
"By coincidence, St. Freya has become the most suitable forward base for counterattacking the Stigmata Plan."
Theresa realized something and said, "…Which means that cooperating with Kiana and the others' actions from our side is the approach that best serves the overall situation."
Ai agreed, "Mm. With my own abilities, it is not difficult to provide help to Lady Theresa, who is a complete foreign entity within the Stigmata Plan."
"But Mr. Siegfried's situation… is very complicated."
Siegfried said calmly, "You mean… the Stigmata power on me?"
Ai denied, "No, I'm referring to some more fundamental matters, Mr. Siegfried."
"Do you remember the specific experience of escaping from the deepest part of the Kaslana Stigmata space?"
Siegfried said strangely, "Wasn't it just because Kevin completely took away Chimera's power…"
Ai interrupted, "Mr. Siegfried, I am asking whether you remember the specific process of escaping that space."
"..."
Siegfried was silent for a moment before saying, "Wait, this…"
"…Impossible. Why do I have no impression of the specific process at all?"
Ai was not surprised, "…As expected."
"Just like before, you did not truly escape the Stigmata space."
"Kevin taking away Chimera's power only made this form of yours more stable than before."
Theresa asked in confusion, "…What exactly are you saying?"
"Siegfried, what does she mean?"
"..."
Siegfried thought for a moment and said, "She probably means that my current state is still similar to sleepwalking in Imaginary Space."
"For example, there was one time when I seemed to have turned into a plush doll…"
"Forget it, that was probably just a dream."
Ai spoke at this time, "Let's focus on the current situation."
"Mr. Siegfried, due to the assimilation effect of long-term imprisonment, within the Stigmata space and the main network derived from it."
"Your spirit can be divided into different existences that can act independently."
"If you want to return to reality… the lack of your main body will cause many unnecessary troubles."
Siegfried said, "But on the other hand, as long as I remain in this kind of space, there won't be any extra problems?"
Ai nodded, "Mm, it's just that, as mentioned earlier…"
"In ten minutes, due to spatial distortion, a giant enemy unit will appear here."
"And all our retreat routes will also be cut off by it…"
Siegfried smiled and said, "That doesn't seem like a big deal."
"As long as you two can leave safely… no matter the outcome between me and the enemy, it actually won't matter, right?"
"After all, it's ultimately just a dream."
Theresa: "..."
Ai spoke, "Please rest assured, this is only… ahem, this is only a temporary measure. You will not be trapped for too long."
Siegfried laughed loudly and said, "Then I'll take your auspicious words!"
As he spoke, Siegfried turned to look at Theresa.
"Theresa, if you think this young lady is trustworthy, then follow her arrangements and leave first. There's no time to lose."
At this moment, a strange sound seemed to come from the other shore of the netherworld, yet also seemed close at hand.
Ai said somewhat surprised, "…Kiana and the others started early?"
Siegfried urged directly, "Theresa, go quickly!"
Just as Ai said, due to all aspects progressing unusually smoothly, the time it took Kiana to integrate the beacon was about five minutes earlier than expected.
Moreover, this was indeed a solid step toward changing the world for everyone in Sea Abyss City.
Outside the television.
"What do we do? The Firefly has turned into a Pitfall Dad tuna. If she finds out later, she'll probably get beaten up by Siegfried, right?"
"No way. With the current Firefly, Siegfried might not even be able to beat her!"
"By the way, when is the main cast going to fight Kevin already!"
"Dog director, gkd! I want to fast forward to Kiana baby brutally beating up Ancestor Kevin!"
"Speaking of which, what's the situation with Ai? Isn't she the Hyperion's AI?"
"Is no one concerned that the world's cutest Theresa has finally returned?"
"..."
While the audiences were passionately discussing and occasionally mixing in some personal opinions.
At the same time, the scene on the television switched to Kiana's side.
Kiana stood with her hands on her hips and said, "…With this, the first three steps of the plan are all complete. It went so smoothly it feels exaggerated."
Susannah couldn't help but say, "So far, it only took thirty-seven minutes! That's really amazing!"
"..."
Durandal did not speak but showed a contemplative expression.
Susannah saw this and couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong, Lady Durandal?"
Durandal said, "Of course it's good that the plan is going so smoothly…"
"But this might also mean that the real difficulties are still far from arriving."
Mei agreed, "Same feeling. But even so, reclaiming St. Freya from the Stigmata Plan will be a very important beginning."
Durandal nodded, "Mm. St. Freya's unique spatial beacon not only makes it an ideal forward base."
"It also allows Schicksal Headquarters' Cosmic Juggernaut to regain its usefulness."
"Although under the Stigmata Plan's erosion of most surface spaces, the Cosmic Juggernaut can no longer directly affect this Sea Abyss City."
"But with the special beacon of St. Freya acting as an intermediary for mutual communication, it will be much easier."
"So once we recapture St. Freya, we can at least establish a relationship of mutual support with Schicksal Headquarters."
"It may even be possible to include the Salt Lake Base as well."
Bronya thought for a moment and said, "Which means that, if necessary, Rita can fight alongside us."
Durandal said, "Mm. The same goes the other way around."
Kiana interjected at this time, "But after talking so much, we still haven't set foot solidly on St. Freya's campus yet."
"How should we arrange the next combat team?"
Durandal proactively said, "It's naturally best for the students from St. Freya to go out together as much as possible."
Fu Hua added, "But we also need to leave the necessary forces to defend Sea Abyss City."
Durandal agreed, "Yes. So overall, let Su Shang continue resting."
"It is most stable for Fu Hua-senpai, the Herrscher of Sentience, and Susannah to stay and guard Sea Abyss City for now. The rest will go out together."
Kiana asked with concern, "But in that case… Durandal, do you still have to continue fighting?"
"You haven't slept for two full days and nights, right?"
Durandal scratched her head and said, "It's fine. I've experienced even longer continuous operations before."
"It would be more stable to arrange for me to rest a bit after confirming the front line doesn't need my combat strength."
At this moment, in the eyes of audiences across the country, the word "Liver Emperor" was clearly written large on the face of the silly goose.