This crazy idea flashed through Texas's mind.
However.
Once the thought appeared, it was hard to quell.
She looked up, wiped the sweat from her temple, and narrowed her eyes, carefully observing Surtr in the distance.
That silhouette...
Although her appearance was completely different from Jessica's.
But...
That aura, especially the aura after delivering a finishing blow, was identical to the Jessica in Texas's memory.
*Hiss...*
For some reason.
A sudden chill ran down Texas's spine. At first, they had only thought Jessica had a mild case of split personality, two 'selves'. Texas had seen quite a few people with mild dissociative identities, so she didn't find it particularly surprising.
However.
When she first met Surtr, she already felt something was strange. Maybe Sora hadn't noticed, but as a Lupo, Texas's sense of smell and her senses were far superior to Sora's and others'. During their simple conversation, Texas felt a sense of familiarity. Thinking about it carefully...
Although the voice was different.
The tone of speech, the manner of conversation, the aura, and even the jokes used as examples were exactly the same....
If they were two different people, even twins couldn't be this similar.
There was only one possibility.
Jessica and Surtr's other personality were actually the same person.
The thought was terrifying...
"Tex, did you notice it too?"
Exusiai's voice sounded by Texas's ear. Her voice was very quiet, afraid of being overheard.
She might seem carefree and thoughtless, but she was actually quite sharp. Exusiai had noticed it a little later than Texas.
However.
What shocked the three of them the most, besides this personality, was another thing...
They had just seen with their own eyes Surtr holding the magma-coated blade fragment in her hand...
Holding it...
Just holding magma with her bare hands.
Most crucially.
After the magma flowed off, Surtr's hand was completely unharmed, as if what she had been holding was water, not magma. Her flesh could withstand magma—is that something a human can do?
At this moment.
The three of them finally understood why their boss had sent her along.
He probably knew that the three of them couldn't solve it, so he sent her to take care of it.
What kind of monster was this....
Texas's gaze towards Surtr became a little more cautious.
Lucas Reeve shook the flame blade fragment in his hand.
As expected, this fragment contained a piece of the Ancient God of Flame's power. Holding it in his hand, the strong sense of kinship made Lucas Reeve feel as if the blade was a part of his own body that had fallen off.
He shook off the last piece of magma from his hand, unable to help but marvel.
Surtr's body was quite useful.
It was completely immune to the temperature of magma. The thousand-degree magma in his hand just now felt as warm as bathwater, with no sensation at all, even feeling a bit cozy.
In that case.
Now that the fragment was in hand, if he fused with it, the power of the Ancient God of Flame would likely increase significantly. Moreover, this was still a fragment of power, containing no consciousness. After fusion, his own soul would still be the dominant one. Plus, that blonde girl in Lungmen had inexplicably returned the soul fragment to him. Fusing with that soul fragment would also amplify his own soul. Ah, so easy.
However.
There was one thing Lucas Reeve wanted to complain about.
The Lava Snail monster just now was indeed quite strong.
If he hadn't come, an ordinary organization would have been helpless against it.
It was very hard to kill.
Because the lava monster's body was made of magma itself. Besides the blade fragment at its core, it had no weak points. Even if its body was destroyed, as long as the blade fragment at its core was fine, it could still reform its physical body. Moreover, its surface temperature was comparable to magma, making it impossible for ordinary people to get close for melee combat. Even Patriot would be burned upon contact with such high temperatures; an ordinary person would probably be turned to charcoal in an instant.
Surtr's heat-resistant trait allowed Lucas Reeve to easily pierce through the lava monster's body and directly seize the blade fragment. If it were someone else, Lucas Reeve might have had to use the Holy Lance for a direct bombardment.
Mission complete.
Time to go.
According to the deal with Emperor.
Since he had obtained this fragment, it now belonged to Lucas Reeve.
Turning around, Lucas Reeve smiled and waved at the three young women.
Texas and the others managed to squeeze out a few smiles in return.
Lucas Reeve didn't mind.
He had already guessed that these girls might have figured out his identity, but it didn't matter. It was of no consequence.
"Let's go."
Lucas Reeve integrated the blade fragment directly into his body and pulled on the rope to climb up. As the blade fragment was taken by Lucas Reeve, the environment at the bottom of this deep valley began to undergo a dramatic change. The original sea of magma seemed to be gradually disappearing, and the world of flames was fading, as if it was about to return to its original state as a deep valley.
Texas said nothing. The entire scene just now was like something out of a fantasy drama, leaving her somewhat numb.
Exusiai, on the other hand, was rather chatty.
Although she was suspicious of Surtr's identity, since she was sent by the boss to help, she must be an ally. For Exusiai, as long as someone was an ally, it didn't matter what they looked like or how mysterious they were. She could accept it. Even if it was the lava monster from before, as long as it was on her side, Exusiai could chat with it for a long time.
Since the mission was complete.
The group climbed up together using the ropes they had set up earlier.
With the experience from the first time, and with the previous unknowns completely gone, everyone's mood was much more relaxed on the way back.
Although Surtr was strange.
But...
As Exusiai said.
Since she was arranged by the boss, there must be no problem. After all, there are many capable and extraordinary people in this world, especially in the lands of Lungmen and Yan.
Texas thought for a moment.
And gradually came to accept it.
Whatever she was.
Even if Surtr were to suddenly turn into a giant monster, as long as she was on their side, Texas felt it didn't matter.
The task of climbing up was left to Surtr.
Meanwhile, Lucas Reeve was inside his soul, studying the blade fragment.
It didn't take long.
The group climbed up to the surface together.
The moment they returned to the ground.
The girls from Penguin Logistics felt like they had been reborn.
Exusiai stretched lazily, then grabbed Surtr's arm and began to chatter incessantly again.
Surtr, very unaccustomed to it, pulled her arm away and maintained a certain distance from Exusiai, to prevent any saliva from spattering onto her face.
"Wow!! Miss Surtr, you were so cool just now!! In that instant!! Your move seemed just like Jessica's."
"Miss Surtr, how is your skin so amazing? It can withstand magma without any issue!! So magical!!"
"Miss Surtr, after we get back, how about you join Penguin Logistics too? We can work together!"
As usual.
Exusiai was talking.
Surtr didn't even have the inclination to answer, listening silently with a cold face, just like any other day.
Among the three.
The happiest was undoubtedly Croissant.
Because the next festival was very close.
She was really worried that this mission would cause her to miss the perfect money-making opportunity of the festival. She would have been heartbroken.
The original plan was that the search could take days, or even half a month to a month. Unexpectedly, from descending together to defeating the monster and coming back up, it took less than an hour... so fast...
She had a feeling that all those supplies were stockpiled for nothing.
Going back to Lungmen now would take two or three days at most.
Sigh...
So easy.
Texas also breathed a sigh of relief. As per the agreement, they had found the blade fragment, but it was taken by Miss Surtr, so it had nothing to do with Penguin Logistics anymore. Mission complete, time to get out of here.
However.
Due to physical and mental exhaustion.
Texas wasn't planning on driving off immediately. Plus, it was already dark. She decided to get some sleep and set off in the morning.
"La la la... sleep, sleep..."
Exusiai walked ahead, happily skipping towards the land-runner. Just as she was about to open the door.
Suddenly...
Texas's strong lupine sixth sense went wild. A sense of life-and-death crisis made the fur on her wolf tail stand on end.
Her eyes widened, and she shouted with all her might.
"Exu!! Don't open the door!!!!"
However.
Even with her shout.
It was still a step too late.
Exusiai looked back at Texas in confusion, a question mark appearing above her head.
"Tex, what'd you say?"
Then, in the next second, she habitually pulled open the car door.
The moment she opened it.
It was as if she heard the sound of a fuse snapping.
*BOOM!*
A huge explosion sent a fireball rising into the sky. The intense dust cloud sent Texas and Croissant tumbling on the ground for several rotations before they stabilized. Only Surtr remained as calm as ever, standing steadfast within the blast's impact zone, as if an attack of this level couldn't harm her.
"Exu!!!"
Texas scrambled to her feet, anxiously running towards the center of the fiery explosion.
Although Texas often complained about Exusiai's chattiness and occasional brain farts, she had to admit their relationship was very similar to Franka and Liskarm's. Though they bickered and teased each other, their bond was rock solid—the kind where they could entrust their lives to each other.
An explosion of this magnitude.
Exu might already be...
*Hooo...*
Rage ignited in Texas's heart. She swung her Originium Blade and stabbed it fiercely into the ground.
"Damn it!! Who!! Who was it!!!"
However.
Texas suddenly noticed something was off. Croissant was still standing behind her, perfectly calm.
Confused, she slowly turned her head.
And was shocked to find.
Exusiai, who should have been dead in the explosion, was now chatting with Croissant, arm in arm, and pointing at her.
"You!!!"
Texas's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Exu! Weren't you dead?"
Exusiai spat a couple of times.
"How could I possibly die?"
Then, a playful grin appeared on Exusiai's face.
"Don't forget, I'm from Laterano. Laterano people are the ancestors of playing with guns and bombs. How could I not know there was a bomb behind the car door? I didn't expect I was so important to you, Tex. But, don't get the wrong idea, my orientation is normal, I'm not into girls. We can only be sisters, no cuddling, okay? No lewd stuff."
"......"
Several cross-shaped veins popped on Texas's forehead. Her face was flushed red with anger and embarrassment. Enraged, she raised her sword and charged at Exusiai.
"You're better off dead!!!"
Hey, hey, hey!!
Exusiai quickly hid behind Surtr and pointed ahead.
"Tex, let's not fight amongst ourselves!! Enemies! Enemies!"
"Hmph!"
Texas snorted coldly, slashing the ground forcefully to vent her anger.
"Of course I know that. Otherwise, how could our vehicle have exploded?"
And just as Texas turned around.
Behind them, from all directions, countless enemies slowly appeared. They formed an encirclement, completely surrounding the Penguin Logistics girls. There was no way out; behind them was the deep valley.
"Hand over the fragment..."
The leader was dressed in extremely fine combat gear, his face covered by a black mask that resembled night-vision goggles, concealing his appearance. However, from Lucas Reeve's perspective, the blood qi and Originium energy within this leader were immense; he was a top-tier expert.
The combat gear was pitch black, making it impossible to identify which secret unit they belonged to.
"You again?!"
Texas wasn't surprised. Her eyes grew cold, and she drew her other Originium Blade, ready to fight in a dual-wielding stance.
"Hand over the fragment. The flames below have dissipated. You must have obtained the fragment."
The leader was like a broken record, only capable of saying this one line.
Based on the other party's tone.
It seemed they had been searching for the fragment in the valley for a long time but hadn't found it. Clearly, they didn't know there was a monster-level Lava Snail down there. Otherwise, they wouldn't be so confident that they could snatch the blade fragment back with just these people.
Lucas Reeve carefully speculated.
It was very likely.
That Lava Snail monster was usually in a dormant state. No matter how these people searched in the valley, they wouldn't have woken it up.
The reason it woke up today.
Was probably the mutual induction between the fragments.
Lucas Reeve could sense the location of the blade fragment, and the Lava Snail that had devoured the blade fragment could naturally sense the presence of Laevatain. To that Lava Snail, perhaps devouring Laevatain would grant it even greater power. That's why it woke from its slumber, only to be offed by Lucas Reeve and Surtr.
Lucas Reeve looked at these fully armed enemies.
He remembered what Emperor had said before their departure.
This world was deep. It was impossible that only Yan had a place like the Sui Regulator Commission; other countries certainly had them too.
Only major powers would have the qualifications to establish such departments.
There were only a few major powers on Terra.
Columbia...
It probably wasn't Columbia. If it were, Lucas Reeve should know, given his relationship with Raythean Industries.
Ursus.
Ursus already had the relevant technology. If they wanted to seize the fragment, they would have likely sent the Emperor's Blade directly.
That only left Victoria....
Lucas Reeve had never had any contact with this country.
But he knew that Victoria was, on paper, the most powerful nation on Terra.
Stronger than the current Ursus and Columbia.
If these troops were from Victoria, it would make perfect sense.
After all, the equipment on this unit, in Lucas Reeve's eyes, was of the highest standard on Terra today. Only a superpower like Victoria would have the capital to form such a force.
"Hand over the fragment. This is the final notice."
After the final notice was issued.
All the enemies advanced in neat formation towards the Penguin Logistics girls. A murderous aura surged, and the intense pressure made the Penguin Logistics girls' scalps tingle. Their numbers were even greater than last time...
Last time, only five were sent, and they almost left Texas and Exusiai in the wilderness forever, forcing them to flee in defeat. This time... there were at least twenty-four...
*Hooo...*
However.
Just then.
An inopportune voice sounded out.
"So annoying... I want to rest."
Surtr was getting impatient...
Lucas Reeve said, "Do as you please."
Surtr sighed, and walked alone to the front of the Penguin Logistics girls.
She took a deep breath.
And plunged her greatsword into the ground.
"Come forth."
"Laevatain!"