"That's it?"
Nanashi looked disappointed. Very disappointed.
He had seen the deathline of the Black Snake, rooted in Tallulah's mind.
He'd hoped to study this so-called "god" of Terra.
He wondered if divinity could truly defy the laws of nature.
But no—the moment he cut the deathline, it ended.
The Deathless Black Snake… Kashchey… was dead.
From the source.
Permanently.
Not a god.
Not the Will of Ursus.
Just a man.
An immortal, sure—but one with special Originium powers. Nothing more.
"How underwhelming," Nanashi muttered.
He pulled the dagger free and handed it back to Ace.
Not a single drop of blood.
Not a scratch on Tallulah's head.
"I... Where... am I...?"
Her eyes began to regain their light.
She blinked.
She could speak again.
She was—at least physically—okay.
Seeing her safe, Crownslayer stopped struggling. She knew it was pointless now.
None of her punches or kicks had made a dent in Nanashi anyway.
"Ahhh!"
Tallulah suddenly collapsed to her knees, hands clutched over her head.
A tormented wail echoed across the street.
She clawed at her skull, as if trying to tear out the memories flooding back.
She saw it all.
What happened after Alina died.
Her trembling hands struck her forehead again and again.
Everything came together.
What… have I done?
She'd fallen into Kashchey's trap, blinded by grief and paranoia.
She had become a pawn in his twisted game.
She had betrayed Alina.
Betrayed the Infected.
Betrayed Reunion.
She had led them all into a new abyss with her own hands.
Now, all she could do was cover her face, trying to disappear.
My hands… are soaked in blood. I should die here…
In this city of sin she helped create.
She was caught in an unending spiral of guilt and regret.
Nanashi didn't seem too concerned. His work was done.
Too bad he hadn't brought a Doomsday companion—there'd be no natural disaster reward this time.
"I am a Patriot. And she is the leader of Reunion."
Patriot and FrostNova stepped forward.
No Shieldguards. No Snow Monster Squad.
They came with sincerity.
Rhodes Island operatives stayed on guard, but allowed them through.
"I've eliminated Kashchey's consciousness from her mind," Nanashi explained. "She's regained control—but now she can't face the weight of what she's done."
"You're saying... she was being controlled?" FrostNova asked, incredulous.
But as she thought back on Tallulah's sudden personality shifts, her confusion turned into quiet realization.
Two different people. The changes made more sense now.
"I know Kashchey—the so-called Deathless Black Snake. Ursus' so-called evil god," the Patriot said, glancing at the sobbing Tallulah.
"That was Kashchey. Now, he's gone. And Tallulah is free."
Nanashi shrugged. "Whatever beef you've got with Rhodes Island, it's not my business. I'm only here to protect Lemuel and her friends. If you still want to fight, go ahead."
"No," Patriot replied gravely. "We won't further Kashchey's schemes."
He turned to Amiya. "Leader of Rhodes Island—what do you want to do?"
Amiya's ears drooped slightly, her voice filled with calm compassion.
"I believe peace can't be built on riots alone. I want to know—will the Reunion Movement stop persecuting Chernobog?"
FrostNova stepped forward, her gaze steady. "We never meant to persecute Chernobog. We fight for the rights of the Infected."
"Unforgivable!"
A battle axe came swinging down toward FrostNova's head.
Sonya had snapped.
Clang!
The ice blocked the path of the battle axe.
FrostNova frowned. "What are you trying to say?"
Sonya's knuckles cracked as she gripped the axe handle tighter, her eyes burning with anger. "Do you think a single sentence can erase the persecution that happened in Chernobog? Do you even realize how many people have died because of you?!"
FrostNova tried to explain, "We didn't—"
"No."
Patriot cut him off.
"Old man?"
FrostNova looked up, confused. Patriot's eyes gleamed red—he had seen through everything. "Yes. Mephisto and Faust."
The icy air faded. FrostNova froze. "They…"
Sonya raised her battle axe with a roar, unable to hold back her rage. "Damn the Reunion Movement! They locked all the students inside the school!"
"Students fought and robbed each other for food, and you burned the granaries. Do you have any idea how we managed to survive?!"
How could they so easily deny the atrocities committed in Chernobog?
So Sonya acted, even if it meant death at the hands of the Reunion Movement!
"…"
The Yeti Squad hadn't done it. The Shield Guards hadn't done it.
It had been Mephisto and Faust… FrostNova finally understood.
If anyone would commit such madness, it was that lunatic Mephisto.
"The two devils you're talking about—I killed them," Nanashi reminded.
"Mmmmmm!"
The Crownslayer thrashed violently, eyes wide with panic.
"…"
FrostNova said nothing.
Madman Mephisto and indulgent Faust—they were dead.
Maybe it was what they deserved. Maybe, that was the best ending they could have.
"I'm sorry. I can only ask the Yeti Squad to retreat from Chernobog."
Patriot nodded. "The Shield Guards will follow orders."
Ceobe frowned. "And the rest of the Reunion?"
Nanashi replied plainly, "They're dead, too."
"Huh?"
All eyes turned to Nanashi.
"When I killed those two monsters, I judged them. The guilty died. The innocent lived. You're welcome."
With that, Nanashi grabbed the Crownslayer and dragged her toward Lemuel.
He didn't really care about the conflict between the infected and non-infected.
Because this land's struggles weren't that simple.
It wasn't just infected versus uninfected.
Among the infected, the contradictions were simply more obvious.
This land was full of conspirators.
A twisted earth bore twisted fruit.
And with the looming threat of a Seven-Star Doomsday, Nanashi chose not to act blindly.
Mainly because he didn't even know what form the Doomsday would take.
And without a Doomsday companion, any move would be a wasted effort.
He just didn't care enough.
Meanwhile, Amiya and the others continued arguing with FrostNova, Sonya, and their group about what had happened in Chernobog.
During the exchange, Sonya's think tank—Anna and Natalya—arrived, clearly to support her where she lacked eloquence.
This wasn't a simple argument.
It was a clash of ideologies.
Nanashi and Penguin Logistics were outsiders in all this.
He casually grabbed Tallulah by the back of her collar and dragged her over to the Penguin Logistics team.
When he let go, the dragon girl slumped to the ground, dazed and defeated.
"Why are you still holding onto…a Reprobas(Hyenas)?" Lemuel tugged on the Crownslayer's tail.
"Mmmmm!"
Nanashi pulled off the Crownslayer's hat. "Look at the ears. Probably Wolper."
"A fox girl?" someone asked.
It was the hooded Doctor.
The Doctor thoughtfully tugged the tail. "Looks more like a wolf."
The three of them continued making racial guesses under the Crownslayer's humiliated and furious glare.
Their method of identification was primitive—touch, pat, rub.
Under some unknown force, she couldn't resist at all.
"Texas, don't you think Lemuel gets along pretty well with Nanashi?" Croissant nudged Texas and whispered.
Texas, confirming there was no danger, sheathed her lightsaber and pulled out a stick of pocky.
"Mm."
She glanced over briefly, humming a soft reply.
"Eh? Aren't you worried Lemuel might be tricked?"
Texas answered coldly, "Croissant, you're the one I'm worried about being tricked. Lemuel can't be deceived."
"I think you're underestimating me, Texas."
Croissant flexed and showed off her muscles.
"…"
Texas sighed internally: This breadhead is hopeless.
A while passed.
Amiya and the others finally concluded their argument.
On Nanashi's side, two women and a man had thoroughly harassed the Crownslayer until she lost consciousness and collapsed next to Tallulah.
Even though Nanashi hadn't joined the argument, he heard everything.
Rhodes Island and the Reunion Movement—two opposing survival philosophies for the infected.
The Reunion Movement and the Ursus Student Council—perpetrators and victims, though the true culprits had already died in ambiguous trials.
Yet, FrostNova still bore the pain of what Reunion had done.
In the end, the three parties reached a consensus.
The Ursus Student Council agreed to forgive what remained of the Reunion Movement.
And after learning about Rhodes Island's ideals, the Ursus Student Council chose to join them.
FrostNova and the Yeti Squad decided to follow suit.
Patriot and Shield Guards were still undecided, waiting on Tallulah.
They had endured too much. They no longer wanted to be betrayed.
Tallulah was still their leader.
Everyone gathered around Nanashi once more.
"Thank you, great sir, for everything you've done for Chernobog."
The words were sincere—Sonya's genuine gratitude.
Nanashi blinked, staring at her. Then, he blurted out, "You're not General Winter!"
Wasn't this the moment Sonya should shout, "Shame on you! Get off this battlefield!"?
Did such a polite version of Winter even exist?
Yet his words seemed to jolt the polite Sonya back to her usual, brash self.
Her tone suddenly grew louder. "Huh? So you think you know me that well?"
Nanashi nodded, unfazed. "Yeah. You're just my type."
"Pfft!"
Natalya, Gummy, Anna, and the others standing beside Sonya burst into laughter.
[Note: Natalya, Sonya, Gummy and Anna]
The heartfelt line of thanks Sonya had just delivered? It was something Anna had coached her to say.
"Tch."
Sonya shot him a glare, but in truth, she was starting to grow curious about this man who had saved Chernobog.
Why does he feel... familiar?
"Mr. Nanashi," FrostNova interjected, stepping forward with a bow, "on behalf of the current Reunion Movement, thank you. If not for you, we might've pushed the infected deeper into the abyss."
"I just did what I felt like doing," Nanashi replied lazily.
As they spoke, Amiya's sharp eyes caught sight of the Doctor crouched on the ground—poking at the Crownslayer's tail.
Her ears twitched, and her face darkened. A devilish whisper escaped her lips.
"Doctor, this is not the time to be messing around!"
"Ah!"
Startled, the Doctor sprang to her feet and quickly scurried to Amiya's side, standing at attention.
Seeing him return, Amiya's expression softened and she smiled again. "Mr. Nanashi, everyone in Rhodes Island is deeply grateful for your help."
"I'm sorry we have nothing of material value to offer in return. All we can give is the friendship of Rhodes Island."
"That's good enough," Nanashi replied casually. He had never expected anything from them in the first place.
"Now that things are settled, I should be heading back. There are some folks waiting for me at home."
Three hungry mouths, to be exact.
"Wait—sir, our leader... Tallulah..." Patriot spoke up haltingly.
Nanashi blinked. He had nearly forgotten the unconscious figure on the ground.
He turned to Amiya and the others. "What do you plan to do with her?"
Amiya, FrostNova, and the rest exchanged glances.
To be honest, none of them knew what to do with Tallulah.
Though she'd been under the Black Snake's control, the atrocities were still carried out by her own hands.
Who should shoulder the blame?
Nanashi looked at the dragon girl lying motionless on the ground, dressed in a frilly Lolita-style outfit.
Horns on her head. A tail curled behind her.
Definitely a little dragon girl.
Now that the tension had eased, he found himself... mildly intrigued.
Rubbing his chin, he mused aloud, "If she's judged and punished, she'll probably never be free again, right?"
"..."
Silence. The idea of her lifelong imprisonment wasn't far-fetched.