Come here, Lamia.
...
I'm not going to repeat myself.
Lamia has a habit of doing inappropriate things—the kind of foolish mistakes only a child would make. And each incident earns her a stern lecture from Lustrous.
But she's grown up now. She can't just slip away to some forgotten corner and wait for Lustrous to cool off like she used to as a child.
Though she can't recall any recent transgressions, Lamia swallows nervously and inches forward with cautious, tentative movements.
Lustrous doesn't rush her. Only when Lamia has crawled close enough does she slowly raise her hand and let it hover above Lamia's head.
Lamia squeezes her eyes shut—and yet nothing happens. Quickly, Lustrous's hand drops back to her side.
I should go.
Lamia's head snaps up. She remembers the rumors that have been spreading through Atlantis lately. She opens and closes her mouth without saying a word, her tail fins slapping the ground in unnoticed agitation—
Then I think I'm gonna...
Stay here. Someone will make arrangements for where you're going.
Seen through yet again, Lamia lowers her gaze and accepts this "arrangement." Before Lustrous, she's always powerless. She can't even bring herself to argue with her.
I've already brought Vera up to speed—given her all the reasons, briefed her on all the details. So there's nothing more for me to tell you.
...Yeah.
Vera, on the other hand, always gets to be "brought up to speed" on things, difficult as she is.
And here she is... completely useless.
Suddenly, a cool palm settles on her head. Lustrous runs her fingers through Lamia's damp strands, ever so gently as though she were touching fragile bubbles.
...?
From this day forward, you can wield the power of floods.
Floods?
She's swum the Acheron River countless times, never once sensing any magical currents. But Lustrous's tone leaves no room for doubt, so she can only nod and let that piercing gaze sweep across her bewildered face.
The waters of the Acheron River are bound to your soul, your very essence. I never wanted to lift my protection so soon. But, Lamia... from here on out, whatever you do, you'll have to face the consequences alone.
...
Lustrous lets out a sigh, the gentleness fading from her eyes as she returns to her naturally commanding self.
The Ancient Scroll of the Valley of Ash holds the answers to your destiny.
I should go.
This time, her heart suddenly feels hollow. Her throat clogs as if dammed by rushing waters, her nose stinging with acidic pain. Lamia crouches down, tail fin slapping against the floor as her sobs explode through the cabin—
She doesn't yet understand death or separation. She only knows that something precious is slipping away, flowing bit by bit in the direction where that robe disappeared.
She cried.
The angels are filling every window!
This ain't where you should be, angels.
Ahh!
The train screeches to an emergency halt as hordes of angels storm into the carriages. With the space growing increasingly packed by the second, the Horsemen find themselves with no room to maneuver.
Heh... So what now, "Ferryman"? Can't get this train moving again?
The angels are all tangled up in the wheel hubs—just give me more time!
Above you, Gray Raven!
With a sharp tear, the maintenance hatch on the train's roof is ripped open by an angel.
Grargh!
The bullet finds its mark and causes a spray of crimson, but the roars from above continue as another angel uses its fallen comrade as a shield and drops into the carriage together.
Kill!! Destroy!!
—!
Before the angel's claws could strike, a spear you know all too well pierces through its torso.
The spear lifts and flings the corpse from the cabin as the makeshift opening in the roof comes into view. With it, all of you finally see who has come to your rescue.
D-Don't stare at me like that...
W-Would have been great had you said, "Thank you!"
Phew... Good thing I made it in time.
Perish!
New demon!! Kill!!
Witch Haida is about to say something when the angels lurch forward again. The deadly tension ceases for only a few seconds before the scene erupts back into chaos.
Lamia, make sure you wipe out every last one of these things since you're already on this train!
Vera snaps her Dual-Bladed Lance in half, spins around with a slashing strike, and pins an angel to the shattered window frame—creating a makeshift defensive barrier.
I-I'm doing my best! But there are so many of them jammed between the wheels and tracks that I can't get rid of them with my magic!
Was that her pushing the train with her magic when I felt like something was pushing the train?
She snuck aboard on her own. We were short-handed anyway, so I let it slide.
Lamia! Use that move you hit us with before!
..."Sunken Finale" takes time. I need someone to hold off the angels for me while I get that ready!
Though startled by Vera's bellowing, Lamia shouts back her response. Vera immediately yanks her blade from the wall and cuts through the angel blocking the doorway.
Gray Raven, I need to hold the cockpit. Someone has to cover Lamia.
...I'm leaving this fish to you.
After her brief orders, magical flames erupt around Vera as she rockets toward the next car like a blazing meteor, pulverizing every angel in her path into debris in the wind.
So, how long do we need to hold out?
Lilith's umbrella slices cleanly through another angel's throat, causing scalding blood to spill across her twisted smile.
Three verses. Just hang in there for as long as it takes me to chant three verses!
Copy that. No problem!
By the name of the Abyss, I call upon thy slumbering power—shatter all illusions.
Lamia's tail crashes against the train roof, sending waves of dark water rippling outward. As she raises her halberd and weaves her spell, shadows creep through every gap in the metal plating and gather before her into a swelling orb of pure darkness.
All shadows shall return to roost, and darkness shall weave its web—let the endless Abyss become the blasphemers' doom.
Her voice resonates with magical power, her tail beating faster and faster. Twisted tentacles rise from the dark waves like grasping hands reaching up from the depths.
Demon! Kill it!
An angel leaps past Lilith and tries to reach Lamia through another entrance. Above them, another angel extends its claws from the roof, aiming for Lamia's back.
I've got the other one!
The dark orb before her swells to half the size of a train car, its surface crawling with intricate runes—like ancient carvings from the depths of the Acheron River.
Then her eyes snap open, showing a flash of crimson cutting through the inky whirlpool in her eye.
Devour the light, bury all hope—drag everything into the abyss of eternal night that allows no escape!
Sink... to the bottom of this sea!!!
The incantation reaches its end, and the dark orb explodes in an instant, unleashing power that could swallow the world whole.
Instantly, endless torrents—deep ghostly blue and bone-chillingly cold—pour from the shattered sphere and freeze every angel within reach into solid ice.
Get over here!
Just before the flood engulfs them, Wanshi raises his lantern, and a golden barrier wraps around everyone.
Lamia stands atop the train, her tail flicking against the heated metal as she watches the flood spread into silver waves and sweep hordes of angels into the grinding wheels below.
Hehe, it worked.
The train surges forward, carried by the flood, its steam whistle shrieking in celebration of the witch's victory.
Oops, I've got to save Gray Raven and 'em!
The train charges through the flood, waves crashing against the last stargate's crumbling edges. Just as Lamia remembers those swept up in her torrent and turns toward the cars, the sky suddenly turns white in a blinding light...
Hm? What's this...
One, two, dozens of stargates tear open around the train like a punctured honeycomb, covering every last part for a hundred meters in all directions.
The freshly summoned angels no longer emerge in scattered groups, but instead form tight wedge formations. The front ranks spread their wings, conjuring up translucent shields of light that slice straight through the rushing waters.
Kill! Kill!
The flood grows weak in force. Behind their shields, the angels trample over fallen comrades as they advance, while the stargates in the distance continue expanding. The blinding light merges into a solid wall that threatens to engulf the train entirely.
No, that's impossible! Lustrous taught me Sunken Finale. It's supposed to be the ultimate grand magic!
She clenches her fists, her tail carving deep gouges across the train's roof. The torrents still roar, but they are nothing compared to when they first appeared.
—This was supposed to be the crucial moment. This was supposed to be the trump card.
A wave of helplessness washes over her, making her head spin. Lamia suddenly realizes she's screwed something up again.
Grrrrr—
Wait, what?
The Hell Train's steam engine suddenly roars to life, churning up thick smoke and rushing air that hits her in the face. It's just machinery starting up, but to Lamia, it sounds like Vera calling her an idiot and telling her to try harder.
It's not over yet...
Lamia's hair whips around her as fresh magical power wells up in her eyes. She needs to cast Sunken Finale one more time before the horde of angels hits them.
In that moment of desperation, she touches something deep within—her soul, her very essence.
The waters of the Acheron River are bound to your soul, your very essence. I never wanted to lift my protection so soon. But, Lamia... from here on out, whatever you do, you'll have to face the consequences alone.
Ah... so that's how it is.
That day, Lustrous didn't grant her any power—a gentle nudge was all that she gave her. From the moment fate had her born in that river, she has always been the flood itself.
The Ancient Scroll of the Valley of Ash holds the answers to your destiny.
Lamia has been searching all this time for the Omega Egg—the one that can save all the dead.
The Ancient Scroll of the Valley of Ash... ah, here it is.
"When the egg hatches, it shall cleanse Hell of all corruption. The dead of past and future shall rise anew."
She had searched so desperately, racking her brain for answers, never realizing that what she sought had been within her grasp all along.
...Lamia takes a deep breath and utters the final incantation.
By blood as conduit, by soul as offering, fate grants death in equal measure.
True magic erupts across the array of stargates—as the final word of her incantation echoes, black rain streaked with phosphorous fire begins to fall from the sky. The host of angels, having no time to react, dissolves instantly in the deadly downpour.
The world-ending power foretold in prophecy has finally broken free of all restraint.
This is how the Omega Egg truly awakens.
Lamia stands amid the white mist from the smokestack, watching her fingertips dissolve into translucent ripples that the wind carries away as prismatic light.
Lustrous... were you trying to keep me from the prophecy and my destiny with all those arrangements you made?
Lamia raises her hand to touch her cheek. Her fingertips pass straight through her translucent skin and send ripples across the surface.
Her soul, having fulfilled its purpose, begins to fade. The tension in her brow slowly melts away as she gazes toward the front of the train—a relentless locomotive forever billowing smoke, never stopping.
I should go.
...Goodbye, Vera.
The Omega Egg... how did it end up in their hands...?
The Archangel watches the flood erupt in the distance and immediately grasps what has happened. The stargates flanking the Holy Throne shatter in an instant, leaving only an apocalyptic deluge cascading like black waterfalls across the heavens.
Bloodsworn... to think humans could actually obtain both the Silver Bullet and the Omega Egg—two weapons capable of threatening the Holy Throne itself.
—But that's where it ends. Both these weapons were deployed at the wrong moment. His wounds will mend soon enough, and then He can use the fallen god's remains to hold back the deluge.
What Uriel and Raphael couldn't accomplish, I will finish. I am the Holy Spirit chosen by the Supreme Heaven—the one who stands above fate itself!
Nobody's choosing your ugly bald ass!!!
Ngh—gahk!!
A crushing blow strikes from behind. The "Archangel" sees the female demon standing atop the derailed locomotive, riding it like a roaring dragon as it barrels forward with unstoppable force.
Soulflame—
Incineration!!!
—Guh!!
The locomotive smashes through the stairway to the Holy Throne, sending both the Archangel and Vera plummeting through the air alongside the wreckage.
Demon! How dare you strike me from behind twice!
Don't worry. There won't be a third time.
Vera ignites her Soulfire and lunges forward with a roar at the Archangel. The Archangel tries to block with its partially healed right hand—but the lance pierces straight through its palm.
Die!!
Demon!
The locomotive's impact sends tremors through the Archangel's entire body. Its soul, which has just begun to heal, starts burning again. The Archangel realizes that it has to quickly shake off this demon woman and retreat to the Sanctuary.
Hmph!
The Archangel tries to draw its weapon with its free hand to cut through the train car, but Vera blocks it with her body, preventing the Archangel from gaining leverage.
You reckless... demon!
While Vera pins the Archangel down, she, too, traps herself. The Archangel's mask suddenly splits open, revealing horrifying red blotches within—deadly energy begins to coalesce in an instant.
Die—
You really gotta learn to keep your trap shut, buddy.
Vera thrusts her left hand straight into the Archangel's mouth and grabs the connection point of that red structure, and...
Demon, you're out of your mind! This is going to...
I'm taking you down with me.
!
Never has weightlessness felt so overwhelming to Vera. Clouds rush past her, and the Sanctuary looms like an unreachable mirage.
Friendly reminder—thanks to you, I'm now the immortal and indestructible...
Death Knight!!
Seeing that smile and the hellfire that devours all the divine souls, the Archangel finally glimpses its own demise.
You damn demon!
Demon!!
