The Manchester beneath her was howling in sorrow and anger, as Samael gently caressed her pain-stricken soul. The right side of her head had almost completely melted into a pool of blood, but the unyielding strength of the angel's life force kept her alive.

Samael was starting to feel a twinge of compassion. The horrifying temperature of his right hand suddenly dropped.

"You were also deceived by Oedipus, weren't you..."

"People who kill with all their might should not be the two of us."

"We are both victims, yet we still hurt each other..."

"Oedipus is getting off too easily, don't you think?"

Samael gazed sympathetically at the Manchester before him, who was no longer recognizable as a human. There was a small patch of human skin left on her face, indicating that if she wasn't a battle-tested veteran, she would have been just a young girl in her twenties.

So young, so lovely, and yet sacrificing so much that was within her reach.

Every time she donned her armor for battle, did she ever think of herself as a girl with some beauty? Did she forget that she had a life beyond being a soldier?

Both the Cuckoo plan and the Grand plan ended up unsuccessful.

In other words, they were all flawed prototypes.

Even in their final seconds, they had to constantly consume high doses of sedatives, or the complex information contained in the angelic organs would drive them mad.

In a way, it was just like Turing.

Ever since Turing's departure, Samael often found herself thinking about him unintentionally. The strong angel always managed to bring a hint of sweetness to her otherwise hopeless life.

It's truly unfair, Samael thought.

Out of a tinge of pity, Samael finally released her scorched and pale hand, wanting to leave Manchester's side.

However, the next moment, Manchester grabbed Samael's wrist tightly with one hand, while her tendrils exerted immense force. The enormous scythe severed Samael's spine, and the sharp blade of the scythe sank into Samael's waist.

Blood trickled from the corner of Samael's eye as black tears of anguish fell into Manchester's eyes filled with hatred, but she didn't even blink.

Samael couldn't hold back her bitter smile any longer.

"You have the resolve, and that puts my mind at ease."

"I shouldn't have held back... Let me send you on your way."

"And let me free myself from this predicament of life and death controlled by others."

It seemed like Samael had made a significant decision. She took a deep breath and extended her hand towards Manchester's chest.

"Samael... is it Samael?" A deep yet sweet voice echoed, causing Samael's movements to pause.

—————————————

"I saw Samael, but I can't reach her." Merka anxiously circled above the desolate ruins, akin to a scorching hell, not knowing what to do next.

"Are you worried that Samael will kill Manchester?"

"You don't have to worry about that."

"If she kills her, Samael herself will die too."

"But if she wants to die, that's another matter," the shadow stood next to Merka with hands behind its back.

"What do you mean?" Although Merka was happy that the shadow would immediately notice and explain whenever there was something she didn't understand, she also deeply feared this power.

"A virus... you guessed it quite accurately," the shadow turned its head, as if admiring the expression on Merka's face.

"What happened in the laboratory is all in the past now."

"Samael and Mammon were subjected to a kind of programming magic by Oedipus."

"As long as they pose a threat to Oedipus' safety within three steps."

"They will die."

"For example, when Samael killed Manchester—Oedipus lost his right-hand man—Oedipus' chances of success in his subsequent contest with Maria were diminished."

"You see, within three steps, right?"

Merka's astonishment was beyond words, cold sweat kept dripping from her forehead.

"What are you talking about?"

"Will Samael die?"

Oedipus' enigma always exceeded the limits of what Merka could bear.

"I didn't say that."

"But if you don't want such a thing to happen, you better hurry down."

One of the shadow's hands reached into its damaged abdomen and pulled out a seamless white coat.

"I just found this in the Curseborn outpost I just visited."

"So I brought it along."

Merka looked at the oversized white coat that the shadow brought out and read the inscription on it.

"Fireproof suit...?"

"You knew something like this would happen a long time ago?"

Merka smiled bitterly at the shadow, who nodded without comment.

"Will something of this level really protect me?" While wearing the coat handed over by the shadow, Merka asked with a hesitant tone.

"Don't worry, it contains Lake Mother's essence."

The shadow said.

"You really know everything, don't you?"

"Have you always expanded your knowledge by reading various people's memories?"

Merka quickly put on the white coat and controlled her wings to descend, officially entering this hellish sea of fire.

"No, that's not it. I told you, I can only read the memories of people who possess the mechanical descent."

"In other words, that small stone."

As Merka cautiously moved through the broken fire jungle, she remained silent, as if contemplating something.

"Which means, you probably have no information about Oedipus, right?"

"I have an idea... Can you help me?"

Merka looked at the shadow through the glass face shield of the fireproof suit. The dangerous experiences she had just gone through made her smile particularly brilliant and charming.

"Alright, I understand. I'll help you."

"But you better act quickly."

"You've already noticed quite a few Curseborn in your magical vision, haven't you?"

Feeling the scorching temperature of the surrounding flames, Merka, who has always relied on sensing the direction of the sunlight to determine the time, suddenly felt a wave of shock, and his nervousness and urgency caused his sweat to pour down like rain.

Before Merka had a chance to speak and ask, the shadow spoke up and answered.

"From this side of the sun, it's already nine o'clock."

"There are still three hours left until the end of the competition."

"It seems that the final battle is also coming."

The shadow nodded satisfactorily at Merka, seemingly anticipating what kind of answer Merka would ultimately deliver.