Immortal Paladin

[POV: Alice]

Alice lay at the center of a ritual array, her body submerged in a shallow pool of blood that reflected dim, trembling light across the stone ceiling.

She was naked, her crimson hair spread like spilled silk against the ground, her skin pale to the point of translucence. The blood beneath her was still warm, drawn from criminals who had awaited the death penalty. Their final moments had been quiet, painless, and… useful.

Alice’s eyes snapped open.

Power surged through her veins as the blood evaporated into scarlet mist, drawn greedily into her pores. Life force flooded her shattered Mana Road, knitting torn meridians together by brute force rather than elegance. She exhaled slowly, her lips trembling.

“David would frown if he saw this,” she murmured to herself.

Her voice echoed faintly in the underground chamber.

“But I don’t have the luxury of pleasing him right now.”

She closed her eyes again and focused, guiding the stolen vitality inward. The pain dulled, though it did not vanish. Whatever that tribulation had been, it was not something meant for this world. Or for her.

The memory surfaced unbidden.

A wedding bathed in celebration. Ren Xun standing tall and awkward in ceremonial robes. Lin Lim gripping his hand, smiling despite her fear. And above them all, the heavens tearing open.

The Heavenly Tribulation had descended without warning, its nature twisted and unfamiliar. Lightning unlike lightning. Judgment without precedent. What should have been the birth of a child became a catastrophe that shook faith across the empire.

Alice remembered shielding David’s Human Soul, remembered the sensation of her existence being peeled apart layer by layer. She remembered thinking, distantly, that if she died there, history would twist itself into something unrecognizable.

That was when everything began to fracture.

The pool beneath her dried completely.

Alice inhaled sharply and sat up. Her hair shimmered as its crimson hue faded, returning to its familiar platinum pink. She rolled her shoulders, testing her body. Her cultivation responded sluggishly, like a limb that had fallen asleep.

Better. Not healed. But alive.

Her gaze dropped to her chest.

Thin, dark cracks spread faintly across her sternum, like fractures in porcelain. She pressed a hand against them, channeled regenerative qi, then grimaced.

Nothing.

“For some reason,” she muttered, “you’re stubborn.”

She wrapped quintessence around the cracks instead, suppressing them into invisibility.

A voice drifted down from above.

“You look worse than usual.”

Alice glanced upward.

Jia Yun stood on the stone balcony overlooking the chamber, pale robes fluttering slightly. Her expression was tight with concern.

Alice snorted. “You should’ve seen me an hour ago.”

Jia Yun descended the stairs and stopped a few paces away, her eyes lingering where the cracks had been. “Those… they’re still there, aren’t they?”

“They are,” Alice replied calmly.

“And you can’t heal them.”

Alice rose to her feet and conjured dark robes around herself, the fabric flowing naturally over her body. “Correct.”

Jia Yun frowned. “That tribulation did more than injure you.”

“It injured the world,” Alice said. “I was just close enough to feel it personally.”

She studied Jia Yun for a moment. “How are you holding up?”

Jia Yun hesitated. “I’m… adjusting.”

“And your father?” Alice asked.

Jia Yun’s gaze dropped. “We spoke. Not about what I wanted to speak about.”

“That sounds like him from what I’ve heard,” Alice said dryly.

Jia Yun had once been stationed permanently at the Shrine of Da Wei in New Willow. Now, she divided her time between there and Mount Qingshi, filling the absence Joan had left behind. Joan’s last message had been brief. She had departed alongside Dave on an expedition orchestrated by David’s Asura Soul, something secretive and urgent. Since then, silence.

Mount Qingshi had become something else entirely under David’s rule.

Officially, it was his palace abode. However, it was in fact a prison for irredeemable criminals. Mount Qingshi were many things and its basement being an underground dungeon was just among its few features. Such a dark place was necessary for a peaceful world and even the kind David was unable to stay truly pure in the face of ruling his inferior. Unofficially, it was a place of whispered horrors. Stories spread deliberately. Tales of Bai Rong being kept alive, killed and resurrected endlessly as punishment.

The truth was simpler.

Bai Rong had died long ago, slain by Ren Xun himself.

But fear was a tool, and David wielded it efficiently.

Jia Yun visited often, descending into the dungeon levels to speak with her father, Jia Sen, an infamous cultivator of the Heavenly Temple who sacrificed his entire Sect in an attempt to raise his cultivation in order to confront David. Of course, he failed. 

Alice never asked what they discussed. Some conversations were meant to remain private.

“I should go,” Jia Yun said quietly, breaking the silence.

Alice nodded. “You’re dismissed.”

Jia Yun bowed, hesitated as if she wanted to say more, then turned and left without another word.

The shadows along the stone walls rippled, then peeled themselves away from the darkness.

Two figures emerged soundlessly.

One was tall and gaunt, his presence thin yet oppressive, as though light itself hesitated to linger around him. His hair have gone gray, bound loosely behind his back, and his eyes carried the calm of something that had lived too long in secrecy.

Hei Yuan, Patriarch of the Shadow Clan.

Beside him stood a woman clad in dark armor traced with faint silver runes. Her posture was rigid, her hand never straying far from the hilt of her blade. The insignia of the Night Blades rested on her shoulder.

Ye Yong, Captain of the Night Blades.

Alice did not turn around at first.

“What brings the two of you crawling out of the dark together?” she asked coolly. “If this is a courtesy visit, you chose a terrible time.”

Ye Yong swallowed and stepped forward half a pace. “Lady Alice… we intercepted urgent intel.”

Alice finally turned, her platinum-pink hair catching the dim light. “Speak.”

Ye Yong’s voice tightened. “The Heavenly Temple has breached the southeastern defenses. They are making plans for a final push, straight to here in a single bound…”

Alice’s eyes narrowed slightly, but she said nothing.

Ye Yong continued, words spilling faster now. “Xing Guanyu, the Emerald Turtle, has fallen in battle. Huo Hua, the Scarlet Phoenix as well. Both… confirmed dead.”

Those names carried weight. Former generals of the Eastern and Southern Walls. Pillars of the empire’s outer defenses.

Hei Yuan inclined his head. “Chang Yun of the North has sent repeated requests for reinforcements. The pressure there is mounting.”

“And Zhu Shin?” Alice asked.

Hei Yuan’s expression darkened. “Logistics are in disarray. Food supplies have been systematically sabotaged. Poisoned, burned, or rendered unusable. It is too precise to be coincidence.”

Alice frowned. “Then why are you standing here instead of reporting to the Grand Marshal?”

Ye Yong hesitated, then clenched her fists. “We lost contact with New Willow! I apologize, my lady, but we are getting overwhelmed. Of course, there’s more we want to report, but this points were the most urgent things we wish to be addressed, or we might face a battle we may never be able to win.”

Alice’s breath stilled.

Hei Yuan added quietly, “As for the Grand Marshal? He has sealed himself inside his chamber. He has not emerged for weeks.”

Silence followed.

Alice slowly exhaled, her fingers curling at her side.

“So it’s reached that stage,” she murmured.

The Holy Empire had not been this disadvantaged so much it felt helpess.

Human Soul David was injured, still recovering from wounds inflicted by forces that should not have existed. His absence alone was destabilizing enough. Orders that once flowed effortlessly now stalled or contradicted each other.

She thought of the others.

The Heaven Soul remained bound to Yuen Fu, who had only recently recovered from his crippled state. The Hell Soul resided within Lu Gao, an existence wholly unsuited to governance or command. There was no spare body, and no convenient vessel for the Holy Emperor to simply step into and take control.

The burden had fallen to Nongmin.

And now, even Nongmin was silent.

Alice’s gaze hardened.

“Captain Ye Yong,” she said, her voice steady, “return to the Night Blades. Full alert status. Shadow surveillance across all major routes. I want every whisper, every anomaly, reported directly to me.”

Ye Yong straightened and cupped her fist. “Yes, my lady.”

“Patriarch Hei Yuan,” Alice continued, turning to the man of shadows, “you’re coming with me.”

Hei Yuan bowed slightly. “To the Grand Marshal?”

Alice nodded. “To Nongmin’s chamber.”

Alice had taken no more than a dozen steps when a massive figure staggered into her path.

The corridor’s lantern light caught on fiery crimson hair and a broad, scarred frame. Yi Qiu, former Alliance Master, looked as though he had wrestled death and lost the argument. Sweat poured down his face, soaking his robes, his breathing uneven.

“Lady Alice,” Yi Qiu rasped, one hand slamming against the stone wall to steady himself. “This injury… it hurts like hell.”

Alice stopped. Her crimson eyes flicked to him, sharp and assessing. “You’re supposed to be recovering,” she said flatly. “Why are you wandering the inner halls?”

Yi Qiu let out a strained laugh that turned into a cough. He pressed his palm against his chest and pulled his robe aside. There, over his sternum, was a dark palm-shaped mark, as if someone had pressed a hand made of shadow straight through his flesh.

“I’ve been feeling nauseous for days,” Yi Qiu said. “Weak. Restless. And just now… I got a bad feeling. Like something is crawling toward the heart of the Empire.” His jaw clenched. “The one who gave me this injury… I think they’re targeting this place.”

Alice frowned.

She did not have time for vague premonitions and half-formed instincts. Every second wasted now meant more lives lost elsewhere. Still, ignoring Yi Qiu outright would be stupidity, and Alice had survived long enough to know the difference between paranoia and warning.

“Hold still,” she said curtly.

She raised a hand, crimson light blooming at her fingertips as she cast a scrying spell. The magic slid over the wound, probing deeply, searching for curses, tracking marks, soul threads.

Nothing.

The wound was unnervingly quiet.

Alice withdrew her hand. “There’s nothing I can read from it,” she said. “Whatever did this to you is either beyond conventional detection, or it doesn’t want to be found. I believe Joan would’ve done similar procedures to study your injury, but even with the changes you claim to be experiencing, there doesn’t seem to be any lead we can find from your strange injury. I suggest you calm down and collect your thoughts, Alliance Master.”

Yi Qiu grimaced. “That’s… reassuring.”

“It isn’t,” Alice replied.

She turned her head slightly. “Hei Yuan.”

The Patriarch of the Shadow Clan stepped forward without a sound.

“I know the way from here,” Alice said. “You take him.”

Hei Yuan nodded. “Where?”

“To the strategy hall,” Alice replied. “Gather Lu Gao, Yuen Fu, Ren Xun, Zhou Yong…” She paused, irritation flashing briefly across her face. “…and His Holy Majesty, Da Wei.”

The words tasted wrong in her mouth. She had only ever acknowledged him as David, but the Empire knew only the Holy Emperor. Titles mattered, especially now.

Yi Qiu blinked. “You’re not coming with us?”

“I’m going to Nongmin,” Alice said. “If your instincts are right, then whatever is happening started there.”

Hei Yuan placed a steady hand on Yi Qiu’s shoulder. “Come,” he said quietly.

As they departed, Alice did not look back.

She walked alone toward Nongmin’s chamber.

The closer she got, the more her unease grew. Subtle distortions lingered in the air. Several formations lay broken, dismantled with surgical precision, not violently shattered but carefully undone.

No alarms had been triggered.

That alone chilled her.

“Nongmin would never allow this,” Alice muttered.

She reached the door and pushed it open.

The stench of rot and decay hit her instantly.

A corpse lay on the bed, bloated and blackened, its flesh crawling with maggots and grubs. The smell was thick enough to choke an ordinary person.

Alice did not flinch.

As a vampire, she was no stranger to death. Still, her eyes narrowed as she took in the scene. 

The curse lingering in the room was monstrous. Layered, cruel, designed not merely to kill, but to erase. She could feel it clawing at her senses even now.

“So thorough,” she murmured. “Too thorough.”

Someone had assassinated Nongmin, silently and completely, and no one had noticed until now.

That alone made no sense.

“Did no one check on you?” Alice said quietly, irritation creeping into her voice. “Not even once?”

She clicked her tongue and turned back toward the corpse, crimson light flooding her pupils as she activated her blood magic to its fullest.

She observed again and froze.

“There’s suddenly no smell,” she said slowly. “That’s odd… I’m fairly certain I smelled the rot, and knowing my vampire physiology, I’m rarely wrong.”

The room stank, yes, but the body itself did not carry the natural reek of decomposition. It was an illusion.

Before she could react, the corpse stirred as formations flared to life around the body, sigils igniting one after another. The illusion peeled away, revealing a withered, broken figure beneath.

Nongmin’s eyes fluttered open.

With what little breath he had left, he spoke.

“The enemy… is too formidable,” Nongmin whispered. “Flee.”

Alice’s frown deepened.

Before she could respond, the light in his eyes faded.

Silence followed.

Alice stood there for several seconds, and then exhaled slowly.

“No,” she said softly. “Not yet.”

She raised her hand, blood magic surging as she carefully preserved Nongmin’s body, halting decay, stabilizing what remained of his essence.

“If David can resurrect you, he will,” Alice murmured. “And if he can’t… Joan will.”

She straightened, eyes cold and focused.

Someone had dismantled the Holy Empire’s mind with terrifying efficiency.

Whatever was coming next would be far worse.

Alice walked toward the strategy hall with long, measured strides.

She refused to dwell on Nongmin’s final words. Retreat was not an option she was willing to entertain, not yet. Still, reality pressed heavily against her thoughts. The Holy Empire was cornered, stripped of initiative, and forced to grope blindly through darkness.

If David’s True Self were here, what would he do?

The thought only sharpened her frustration. The primary essence of David was gone, devoured or erased, and all that remained were fragments and avatars. Worse still, the Six Path souls had begun to vanish one after another. Ghost. Asura. One by one, extinguished like lamps in a storm.

When Alice pushed open the doors of the strategy hall, she found that everyone had already gathered.

Yi Qiu, the Alliance Master, stood near the central table, his massive frame tense, his expression grim. Ren Xun, Dragon King of Riverfall, leaned against a pillar with arms crossed, draconic eyes half-lidded but alert. Zhou Yong, the Dragon God, stood calmly beside him, her presence steady and oppressive in its quiet strength. Lu Gao, clad in dark armor etched with infernal scripture, remained near the rear, hands folded behind his back. Yuen Fu, the Sword Saint, stood closest to the table, his expression sharp and impatient.

At the head of the room stood David’s Human Path avatar, the acting Holy Emperor.

Alice entered without ceremony.

She turned her head slightly. “Hei Mao. Guardians. Leave us.”

Hei Mao hesitated for half a breath, then bowed deeply. The Guardians followed suit, retreating silently and sealing the doors behind them.

Yuen Fu was the first to speak. “Enough silence. What is going on?”

Alice ignored him for the moment. Her crimson gaze shifted to the Human Path avatar.

“How is New Willow?” she asked.

The Human Soul’s expression darkened. “Bad,” he said. “Very bad.”

He clenched his fists. “I can no longer feel the Animal Soul. It is gone. The sensation is identical to what happened when the Asura Soul vanished. And before that, the Ghost Soul.”

A heavy silence fell over the room.

Yi Qiu broke it. “What about the Martial Alliance?”

“They are stable,” the Human Soul replied. “For now. Reports say Heavenly Temple forces have begun retreating from Alliance territory.”

“That sounds like good news,” Lu Gao said. “If the Heavenly Temple is pulling back, it gives the Alliance a chance to strike.”

Yi Qiu shook his head. “It is not that simple.”

He exhaled slowly. “I have been in contact with my people. After the recent purges and internal upheavals, the lords and eminent elders are afraid. They are choosing caution. I do not believe they will commit to an offensive.”

Yuen Fu frowned. “Then what about the Union?”

Lu Gao’s jaw tightened.

“The Union is compromised,” he said flatly.

Several gazes snapped toward him.

Lu Gao continued, “This was not public knowledge, but two of the Union’s warlords were meant to participate in a major operation organized by the Asura Soul. Instead, they suddenly appeared within Imperial territory.”

Alice spoke calmly. “We subdued them together.”

Lu Gao nodded. “They are currently imprisoned. Kong Huang and Zi Cheng.”

Ren Xun’s eyes narrowed. “Why would they abandon an operation led by the Asura Soul?”

Lu Gao’s voice hardened. “Because the Union has already betrayed us.”

He placed a hand on the table. “Under interrogation, they confessed. The Union has a secret leader. This individual has been colluding with the Heavenly Temple for some time.”

Zhou Yong finally spoke, her voice cool and measured. “A hidden master behind the Union. That explains their erratic behavior as of recently.”

Yi Qiu frowned, his brows knotting together as he asked, “Who?”

Lu Gao did not hesitate. “Mo Yu,” he said. “He calls himself the Immortal Sage.”

“That is impossible,” Yi Qiu said at once. His voice rose despite himself. “Mo Yu has a blood feud with the Heavenly Temple. They have hunted him for a thousand years, ever since it was discovered he survived the calamity and retained his Eleventh Realm cultivation. He was labeled uncontrollable. A threat to be erased.”

Ren Xun folded his arms and glanced toward the Human Soul. “That changes if a greater threat emerged. If the Heavenly Temple stood to gain something decisive, they would pay any price. Even swallowing their pride to cooperate with Mo Yu.”

Lu Gao nodded. “The trap was meticulous. He went so far as to wound himself. Tao Long and Dave were used as means to perpetrate a con none of us could have anticipated. In the process, several warlords in the Union were framed as Heavenly Temple spies and eliminated in the process to gain master’s trust.”

Yi Qiu shook his head slowly. “It is not that simple. Most of the warlords were notorious for their open hatred of the Heavenly Temple. If Mo Yu intended to ally with them, they would have become obstacles sooner or later. Removing them first served his interests.”

Silence settled for a breath before Ren Xun spoke again. “Speculation will not save us. We focus on what remains within our control.”

He turned toward Alice. “What of Gu Jie?”

Alice’s expression darkened. “Some of you here might not know, but she suddenly appeared not long ago, probably with the same means that Kong Huang and Zi Cheng used,” she said. “Gu Jie was dragged here by Wen Yuhan. A different Wen Yuhan than the one most here remember. Right now, Gu Jie is in a coma. Her body is deteriorating. Aging by the moment. Whatever happened to her, it is still ongoing.”

Ren Xun exhaled slowly. “Then she may still hold the key.”

“There is something else,” Alice said.

The words landed heavier than she expected. The hall fell silent before she even finished speaking.

“Nongmin is dead,” she said. “Assassinated in his own chamber.”

No one spoke.

Zhou Yong was the first to break the silence. “You should have started with that.”

Alice clenched her jaw. “I hesitated because it will shatter morale. The empire is already on the brink.”

She turned to Ren Xun. “What do we do? Your judgment has guided this empire more than once. Tell me.”

Ren Xun closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, the grief was still there, but it had been forced beneath layers of discipline. “We conceal his death,” he said. “For now. If word spreads, command will collapse.”

Alice nodded. “His last words were that the enemy was too formidable. That we should flee.”

Lu Gao frowned. “Flee where?”

“That is the problem,” Yi Qiu said quietly. “There is nowhere left untouched.”

Alice’s fingers curled at her side. She said nothing of the temptation burning in her chest. She could have preserved Nongmin beyond death. Her blood could have forced his return. The thought sickened her.

She had threatened David with such a fate before, in moments of bitterness, but this was different. Nongmin had trusted them. Turning him now would have been a violation, not a salvation.

“I preserved his body,” Alice said instead. “If resurrection is possible, Joan may still succeed. If not, then we will mourn him properly. When this is over.”

Ren Xun exhaled slowly, his fingers pressing against the table as if anchoring himself. “My dragons are already spread too thin,” he said. “The same goes for the soaring vessels. Every one of them is locked into a strategic role. Reconnaissance, supply, evacuation, suppression. If we shift even one piece, the entire front destabilizes.”

Zhou Yong nodded, her expression weary. “All I have done lately is create food with quintessence,” she said. “Again and again. There is only so much I can provide.”

Alice listened in silence as Zhou Yong continued. “We have stores,” Zhou Yong said. “Vast ones. Much of it comes from you and Joan. But it is never enough. This is a war fought with every disadvantage. The Heavenly Temple is finally revealing what it accumulated over countless eras.”

Ren Xun straightened. “Then there is only one option left. Evacuation.”

Yi Qiu frowned. “That will cost lives.”

“It will,” Ren Xun replied. “If we move any asset out of its assigned role, a domino effect will follow. The battlefronts will collapse in sequence. The soaring vessels are especially vulnerable to this.”

“And even if we evacuate,” Zhou Yong added quietly, “where would we go?”

She paused, then drew a breath. “There is something you should all know. Nongmin and I have been working on a project for a long time. Riverfall can be lifted. The dragon veins beneath it are connected in a massive formation. If activated, the entire continent of Riverfall can become a floating vessel.”

The hall went silent.

“That was meant to be a sanctuary,” Zhou Yong said. “A place for dragonkind to repopulate and isolate themselves from the world. Nongmin agreed to it for that reason.”

She let out a dry laugh. “Perhaps he saw this coming and tricked me into doing this without knowing it was reserved for a different purpose.”

The Human Soul leaned forward. “Most of the citizens of the Holy Empire are already gathered in Riverfall,” he said. “We cannot accept everyone, but with the soaring vessels, we can still bring more. We should act immediately.”

Yuen Fu frowned. “And after that? Where does Riverfall go?”

Alice felt the weight of the question settle on her shoulders.

Nongmin’s final words echoed in her mind. The enemy was too formidable. Retreat.

“If we truly flee,” Alice said slowly, “there is only one place that comes to mind. The False Earth.” She shook her head at once. “No. I will not condemn that many innocents to its laws. I will not gamble their lives on that world.”

Silence followed until the Human Soul spoke again. “There is another place,” he said. “Beyond the Hollowed World.”

Lu Gao stared at him. “How?”

“There is a region connected to the dark veil,” the Human Soul replied. “A passage that leads outward.”

Alice cut in sharply. “That place lies at the heart of the Heavenly Temple’s territory.”

The Human Soul shook his head. “Not that one. There is another method. Jia Sen knows an art. One that can tear an entire continent free and pass through the dark veil by borrowing the strength of a deity from the Greater Universe.”

The words hung heavy in the air.

Alice closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them. “This is desperation,” she said. “And desperation is exactly what Nongmin warned us about.”

She straightened. “We will heed his warning at the highest degree.”

Zhou Yong hesitated. “The lifting formations only exist beneath Riverfall. If we bring the remaining territories and move as one, our speed in the Greater Universe will be severely limited. We will be vulnerable.”

Alice’s gaze hardened. “Then we will deal with those dangers when we arrive.”

The hall emptied quickly after that. Zhou Yong and Ren Xun left together, their voices already low and urgent as they spoke of Jia Yun and the need to pressure Jia Sen into cooperation. Lu Gao turned north without hesitation, armor clanking despite the exhaustion weighing on him. Yuen Fu departed for the west, his steps unsteady, his injuries far from healed, yet the presence of David’s Heaven Soul remained with him, refusing to let him slow down.

Soon, only three figures remained in the strategy hall.

Yi Qiu stood near the entrance, his massive frame unusually still. Alice noticed how tired he looked, as though the weight of an entire world rested on his shoulders.

“I no longer have any business here,” Yi Qiu said quietly. “The Holy Empire has done more for me than I could ever repay.”

The Human Soul turned toward him. “You sound like you are leaving for good.”

Yi Qiu nodded. “I am. Still, I will shamelessly ask for a favor.”

“What is it?” the Human Soul asked.

“I have a daughter,” Yi Qiu said. “I will send her here. Let her evacuate with you.”

The Human Soul answered without hesitation. “You may send as many people as you can. We will do everything in our power to protect them.”

Alice studied Yi Qiu. “And you?” she asked. “What will you do?”

Yi Qiu straightened. “This world is my home. The Martial Alliance is my family. I will die fighting for them.” He clenched his fist. “I do not know what the Heavenly Temple has prepared for me. But whatever it is, I will greet it with everything I have left.”

He bowed deeply. “Farewell.”

Without another word, Yi Qiu turned and left the hall.

Silence followed.

Alice slowly turned toward the Human Soul.

“It is fine,” he said gently. “You do not need to hold yourself together all the time.”

She let out a bitter breath. “You should know what I’m feeling better than anyone. You are the Human Path avatar. You feel things more sharply than the rest.” Her hands trembled slightly at her sides. “This crisis is horrible. I can feel it. It is cursed beyond reason. Just thinking about it feels like something is breathing down my neck.”

The Human Soul met her gaze. “I am going to die soon.”

Alice stiffened. “Do not say that.”

“The others will follow,” he continued calmly. “The remaining Six Path souls.”

“Stop,” Alice said, her voice cracking.

He smiled faintly. “You would make a fine queen.”

She stared at him.

“But why stop there,” he added, “when you could be the Crimson Empress?”

“If you keep talking like this,” Alice snapped, “I will turn you into a vampire.”

He chuckled softly. “I wonder what a paladin would become after being turned. Though it likely would not matter. I doubt there would be any ash left.”

“What are you talking about?” Alice demanded.

She could see it then. Even fragmented, even diminished, the David within him was unmistakable.

“I had Ren Xun help me prepare a formation on this clone body,” David said. “It is based on Searing Smite. I enhanced it with Heavenly Punishment.”

He looked almost proud. “If I am going to go, it should be with explosions and—”

He never finished.

Alice stepped forward and kissed him.

The world seemed to pause. They pulled back slightly, still close, eyes locked.

“I will be your empress,” Alice said flatly. “Just do not die.”

David smiled. “I cannot promise that. But I will try.”

Blood seeped from the corner of his lips. Dark tears flowed from his eyes even as he kept smiling. Slowly, his body began to crumble. Ash fell silently to the floor, dispersing into the air as if carried away by an unseen wind.

It was sudden and terrible.

Alice was left standing alone in the strategy hall, staring at the place where David had just been.