Special Episode: Unmatched Grace and Elegance

Yesterday, at the headquarters of the Apocalypse organization.

Over the Pacific Ocean, a powerful wave of murderous intent surged outward. The target of this overwhelming hostility was singular: the Heavenly Sovereign, standing at the edge of the city. This malice was terrifying and spine-chilling, reminiscent of a blood-soaked Asura from the nether realms; anyone who possessed such killing intent must have stained their hands with countless lives.

As expected, the Heavenly Sovereign’s expression remained unchanged. "The Falling Feather Pavilion? The woman with the heaviest bloodshed, yet possessing peerless grace."

Billowing dust swept across the sky like a violent storm, eclipsing the heavens. A woman materialized at the edge of the city. Her footsteps were ethereal, and her figure was tall, yet the serene white robes she wore contrasted sharply with the terrifying aura of slaughter surrounding her.

With a flawless face and cascading black hair, anyone else present might have mistaken this woman for Blood Flame, save for the distinct color of their hair.

"Heh,"

In an instant, the woman flashed to the side of the Heavenly Sovereign. "A resolute man, indeed."

Her fingers brushed lightly across the Heavenly Sovereign's back. The wisps of dust clinging to her fingertips acted like an all-consuming poison, attempting to erode his body, though the effect was negligible.

Yet, the woman known as the [Blood Rakshasa] had not come to unleash her full power. She had come for a specific person, to seek a justification for someone's death, and to find an excuse for her own existence.

What does it feel like to lose the one you love most?

The beauty of the Blood Rakshasa, her madness, her temperament—at this moment, they all converged upon a single purpose: to kill this man. But before that, she had one question to ask.

"Was his death worth it?"

Her peerless, enchanting voice held a hint of profound innocence.

"From your perspective?" the Heavenly Sovereign replied. "Probably not."

"In your view," the peerless beauty's voice suddenly rose in pitch, "the deaths of everyone are probably worthwhile, as long as it serves your noble cause, isn't that right?"

"Yes."

The Heavenly Sovereign’s voice was steadfast, akin to the heavy, unyielding earth. Standing there, he seemed capable of supporting the weight of the cosmos. He uttered only that single word. In the eyes of the Heavenly Sovereign, there was only [Right and Wrong].

There was no [Good and Bad].

This was the reason why the Heavenly Sovereign was resented by some, yet worshipped by all. Only a terrifying individual like him could bear the weight of everything.

She laughed, her delicate frame shaking with mirth. "So, then? Heavenly Sovereign, can the dead be brought back?!"

"No."

The Heavenly Sovereign's tone remained devoid of emotion. "Therefore, I shall bear these debts. The matter of Dust was indeed my fault."

"Then, if you could do it over again, what would you do?"

The peerless beauty tilted her head slightly, pressing a finger against her lips, and glided around to face the Heavenly Sovereign directly. She wanted to look closely at this man, pondering how best to kill him with a smile.

"The exact same thing."

The corners of the Heavenly Sovereign's mouth lifted slightly. With his resolute visage and flawless voice, he did not appear as stern and rigid upon first glance as one might think.

"Then, Heavenly Sovereign, tell me, if you were in my place, what would you do?"

Though her words were mocking, the disgust in her eyes deepened.

"Are you searching for an excuse to justify your own existence?"

The Heavenly Sovereign exhaled softly. His gaze swept past the woman before him and drifted toward the distant floating clouds. A flock of white birds flew overhead. The sun slanted westward, and the afterglow of sunset began to bloom, casting a brilliant golden radiance across half the city.

"Ha-ha,"

"Ha-ha-ha."

"As expected of the Heavenly Sovereign! Yet, I am precisely such a rebel!"

The peerless beauty declared, raising her voice so that everyone in the city could hear. "We have no obligation to strive for your lofty goals!"

"I care only about what I wish to protect!"

"Yet, you shattered the only thing I had." Standing face-to-face with him, tears welled up on her stunning visage. "I will fight for what I must protect! You have no right to negate everything I am!"

Closing his eyes, the Heavenly Sovereign offered no further response, standing silently in place. Meanwhile, the terrifying murderous intent permeating the air and churning within the monstrous dust storm overhead trembled, eager to be unleashed.

A colossal battle was on the verge of erupting!

Endless dust shrouded the skies above the Pacific city. The oppressive murderous intent felt physical, striking terror into the hearts of all who sensed it. All this hostility focused on a single figure: the Heavenly Sovereign, the helmsman of the Apocalypse organization, standing at the city's perimeter.

The source of this slaughterous aura stemmed from a single woman—an innocent soul, yet precisely because of her purity, the bloodshed she commanded grew all the more horrific. Peerless in grace, she was the heaviest killer within the Falling Feather Pavilion, and now, she had become its most terrifying entity.

Having inherited the power of [Dust of the Firmament], the peerless beauty had stripped away the ethereal tranquility of the endless dust, transforming it into a punishing, heavy, and oppressive storm of slaughter. Ever since the beloved companion she had pursued for centuries perished, her sole purpose for living was vengeance.

Yet...

Her beloved had not lived for hatred. His singular objective was to protect all living beings, even unto death. The only command he ever followed came from one person, knowing that this person never made a wrong decision—and for that belief, he had paid with his life.

"I am merely dust, unable to bear it all," those had been his final words. "Peerless, I am unworthy of you. I leave this dust-like power to you. I shall turn into the dust that surrounds you, guarding you. Live on well!"

"It is I who am unworthy of you!"

For centuries, she had pursued that silhouette. Ever since she was a little girl, before she even understood the world, struggling with weakness and unable to speak clearly, she had looked to her elder sister—a strong girl clad in white, whose ethereal and serene figure was forever etched into her soul.

"Is he a deity?"

"I want to see him again. I... love him!"

Thus, when the truth finally dawned upon them, they realized both were merely tiny mortals subject to the whims of heaven's creation, forced to bear profound sorrow. Even possessing godlike power brought countless helpless despairs.

"And I, having lost you, can no longer live a normal life!"

"The only reason I continue to draw breath is to exact vengeance for you. Perhaps you would reject such hatred, but I have no other reason to exist..."

"Come forth, Heavenly Sovereign!"

Her pale arm pointed at the middle-aged man not far away. In the clear eyes of the peerless beauty flickered stubborn determination. "I want to see what gave you the right to make Dust give up his life!"

"I will exhaust everything to kill you!"

Raising her arm toward the heavens, the endless dust blanketing the sky stirred in response, coalescing into a swirling vortex. The terrifying pressure sent shivers down the spines of everyone beneath the firmament.

The Heavenly Sovereign looked up at the sky, then flicked his wrist, signaling all Apocalypse personnel behind him to retreat into the defensive shelters. Once unleashed, this battle would likely engulf the entire city.

wisps of dust circled the woman, revolving around her form. The dust close to her body—the lingering protection of her beloved—remained ethereal, while the slaughterous dust descending from the sky began to press downward.

The air was saturated with dust; this had become the domain of a sand fog. This abrasive mist relentlessly eroded everything it touched, and even the ground beneath their feet began to wear away.

Not even the ethereal dust could block such corrosion, and soon the skin of the peerless beauty began to break down under the assault. However, her formidable regenerative powers rapidly repaired the damage.

The Heavenly Sovereign gazed at the surrounding dust and frowned. From the beginning until now, he had not moved a single step. He sighed softly and spoke. "Such slaughter will only cause needless casualties."

"Therefore, I wish to see how the great Heavenly Sovereign plans to protect his city."

The rate of erosion accelerated drastically. It was no longer merely harming living things; the very structures of the city began to disintegrate. The massive yellowish-brown mechanical gears in the plaza—the Gear Defenders—showed hairline fractures, teetering on the brink of corrosion. If this continued, not a single brick of this city would remain intact!

The most terrifying aspect of dust was its ability to pulverize matter, turning it into more dust that joined the cascading torrent of destruction. This was precisely why the peerless beauty had earned her reputation as the most lethal executioner in the Falling Feather Pavilion.

Raising his hand, the Heavenly Sovereign finally took action. He extended his palm, and a sudden swirl of air currents manifested out of nowhere. At first, the current seemed weak, but it struck a critical 'node', triggering a profound 'butterfly effect'.

A gale whipped the dust into a frenzy, and the rapidly intensifying wind currents instantly swept the endless dust far away.

Astonishment flashed in her eyes, but the peerless beauty only smiled—a radiant, dazzling smile. "As expected of the Heavenly Sovereign. But can you catch what comes next?"

Her black leather boot slammed hard into the ground. The earth beneath her feet instantly turned to dust, initiating the erosion of the entire city. A massive spherical corrosion zone began to expand so rapidly that even the leather boot on her left foot was completely dissolved, revealing her porcelain-white sole.

With a wave of his hand, the Heavenly Sovereign pointed his right arm toward the ground and slashed downward. A blade-like wave of air sliced the entire city in half. The half belonging to the peerless beauty began to plummet. Before her view was obstructed, her eyes shone with an increasingly dazzling brilliance.

Suddenly, that falling quarter of the city surged back into view. Encased in slaughterous dust, it formed an irregular sphere, trailing scattered grit as it hurdled directly toward the Heavenly Sovereign.

It was akin to a shooting star, yet it was a meteor born of dust and destruction. Trailing a powerful aura, the peerless beauty leaped onto the ground of the descending city fragment—after all, she could not fly. At that moment, she strode through the crumbling urban landscape amidst frantic, fleeing Apocalypse members rushing toward safety.

And the Heavenly Sovereign stood alone, facing the impending impact of the dust meteor.