Shu's attack and Bianka's attack reached their respective destinations at almost the same time. The timing was excellent; it could be said that they had pushed the strategy of "attacking the enemy where they must rescue" to its absolute limit.
But Shu had been prepared for a "mutually assured destruction" scenario from the beginning. A hurried attack thrown by Bianka from a thousand meters away couldn't possibly do much damage to him...
Just as Shu tore the Thousand Stars of Reason from Cecilia's arm, Bianka's spear landed on his back, shattering his "I won't get hurt" notion.
The [Hope] used for defense was like it didn't exist, offering no resistance to the spear, allowing the blade to pierce directly into Shu's already solidified second layer of defense.
Although it didn't shatter this layer like Kiana's punch had, the impact still sent Shu tumbling forward uncontrollably.
[Hope]?!
Shu reacted almost instantly. Bianka's attacks... more accurately, a few of Bianka's key attacks, carried [Hope]. That's why they were able to penetrate the first layer of defense constructed from [Hope].
And the reason this strike hadn't penetrated his second layer of defense was simply because Bianka's [Hope] was too little, just a small amount mixed into her weapon.
If Bianka, like him, constructed all her attacks entirely from [Hope], or if she had given this spear to Kiana to throw, it would have likely pierced him through.
Good thing they didn't have a chance to switch.
Shu casually tossed aside the three Thousand Stars of Reason and the stolen Jizo Mitama, ensuring they wouldn't be lost, then turned and threw a fierce punch at Kiana behind him.
Kiana, of course, met his punch head-on without hesitation. But the moment she felt the force of his blow, her expression tightened.
Trying to use the force to create distance again?
Using the same trick on me twice, you're so bad!
But the clash of fists had already happened. It was too late for Kiana to change her move. She could only silently diss Bronya's flawed decision in her mind.
I should have grabbed him at this moment...
No, this was not the time to grab him.
Kiana's internal diss was also picked up by Bronya, but she couldn't be bothered to refute Kiana's little schemes. Kiana would only ask why, while she would prove it with results...
...why she had let Shu successfully create distance here!
BOOM!
The ground exploded, and hundreds, thousands of golden chains burst through the ice from below, soaring into the sky.
This scene instantly sent Shu back to his battle against the Champion, when countless tentacles had shot up from beneath his feet.
But unlike those grotesque tentacles, this time it was magnificent golden chains that wrapped around him.
Without a second thought, he knew these golden chains were from Theresa, whom he had thrown into the sea along with Judah.
He had been worried that Theresa might have been swept away by the tsunami when Kiana shattered the seabed. He hadn't expected her to be lurking at the bottom of the sea, acting like tangled seaweed.
These hundreds of thousands of chains were arranged with him as the center, clearly a net cast just for him!
The moment he saw the golden chains, Shu knew he had fallen into another trap. But if the Champion couldn't catch him back then, how could the Oath of Judah catch him now?
Without Kiana to tie him down in close combat, Shu instantly transformed into a series of zigzagging streams of light, swiftly dodging through the field of golden chains. Even Kiana could only barely follow his movements.
And the golden chains that pursued him relentlessly like long snakes were easily tied into dead knots by him with practiced ease.
Just as he was about to break out of Judah's encirclement, and this long-brewing trap was about to be turned against them, becoming his advantage to create more distance, Bronya calmly issued three consecutive commands.
The next moment, Shu suddenly felt as if his feet were welded to the ice. The entire block of solid ice beneath him... no, it was as if the entire Earth was pulling at him, preventing him from moving.
Before looking down at his feet, Shu, with a dark expression, crushed the wisp of white by his ear for the third time. Then, ignoring the solid ice made entirely of [Hope] freezing his ankles, he began to accumulate power.
For Bianka, who was so frugal with her [Hope], to use so much to hold him down, he didn't even have to think to know the intensity of the coming impact!
All out, concentrated, and Kiana even has such a long runway for her charge!
This punch is probably aimed for a one-hit victory!
They're underestimating me a little too much!
When Shu looked back, his pupils shimmered with a pinkish-purple light. The divine patterns were more magnificent and radiant than the ones in Kiana's eyes.
The surging power stirred the surrounding air, forming a visible vortex.
Sure enough, the moment he looked back, Kiana had already rushed in front of him. But what surprised him was that Kiana wasn't holding up her fist or coming in with a flying kick as he had imagined.
On the contrary, she was opening her arms to him?
Shu's movements paused. It wasn't that he was stunned, but an irresistible pulling force came from his left hand!
It was as if a small planet was pulling at his arm!
The authority of [Binding]?! The chains caught up to me!
[Hope] immediately surged to his arm, trying to sever the chains at the authority level, but this time, the feedback from the authority was stronger than ever before.
This kind of force—unless Judah itself was right next to him!
Theresa was leaning against Judah, still covered in ice chips from when she had burst out of the ice. She was pulling on a chain with each hand, her face pale from the effort, just to hold onto Shu's left hand, the one he wasn't planning to attack with!
While Shu was rapidly trying to figure out why Theresa would suddenly do something so "useless," Kiana had already broken through the vortex and rushed in front of him.
Although Kiana showed no intention of attacking, the punch still had to be thrown.
This punch carried even more power than her previous kick. If Kiana met his hastily prepared move in this state, Shu was confident he could render her combat-ineffective for at least half a minute.
But... Kiana dodged!
She chose to dodge without even building up momentum, which would undoubtedly further reduce the power of her next attack!
Then what did she rush over for?
The next second, Shu knew exactly what she was going to do.
She threw her arms around his arm, her grip so tight it felt like she was trying to knead his arm into her own body!
And almost simultaneously, the authority of Evolution, which was supposed to be clinging to her body to guard against his own authority's intrusion, went berserk! It launched a suicidal attack against the authority within his body!