Arknights' Lock of Heaven

The entire square was on fire.

"No, I have to... protect everyone!"

Amiya gritted her teeth and reached out her hand towards Talulah.

But Xia Yu gently pressed it down.

“The Ten Commandments,” Xia Yu said softly, “such an important ring cannot be wasted here.”

"You all retreat through the path I've opened; leave the rest to me."

“But…” Amiya was eager to say something, but Xia Yu waved her hand, interrupting her.

"You know my secret: if I want to leave, no one can stop me."

Yes, Amiya knows that Xia Yu can fly.

That night, it became a secret shared by the two people, one big and one small.

But, but...

She was well aware of the strength of the enemy before her. Although Xia Yu was not weak either, but...

A hand was placed on her shoulder.

"Trust me," the doctor's face, hidden behind a mask, revealed no expression, but his soft voice was firm, "Just leave it to him."

"..."

In the end, Amiya led the Rhodes Island team to retreat.

Watching them leave, Xia Yu suddenly realized that the professor was a girl...

The Reunion Movement did not stop them from leaving, or rather, the moment Xia Yu left, Amiya and the others were no longer important in their eyes.

“Answer me, archer,” Talulah’s voice rang out again, “your name.”

Still as aloof and superior as ever.

That sounds really unpleasant.

However, she still considers herself an archer?

With a flick of her wrist, golden ripples appeared beneath her feet, from which chains imbued with a sense of holiness rose.

Then it attacked Talulah.

Upon seeing this, Talulah scoffed. Such a slow speed, a trajectory that could be detected at a glance…

She raised her longsword, which radiated heat, intending to use it to repel Xia Yu's attack and teach this person who had repeatedly ignored her a lesson.

Even the officials behind her looked on with expressions of anticipation.

Such weak and powerless chains, who could they possibly attack...?

In their eyes, Xia Yu was already at her last gasp after exhausting everything to pave a way out for her companions.

The heat emanating from Talulah was nothing more than a gentle spring breeze to Xia Yu.

And Xia Yu's chains...

"What a pleasant surprise! Don't you agree, Miss Talulah?"

Looking at the tyrannical young lady who was tied up and brought before her with a blank expression, Xia Yu said with a half-smile.

34 Containers

The square, which had been tense just moments before, was now completely silent.

Talulah was a little confused; she seemed unable to accept the fact that she had been captured in one round.

The Reunion Movement members around them were also stunned, unable to believe that the one bound by golden chains was their powerful leader.

As for Xia Yu... well, he was a little confused too.

Because he couldn't be sure what this thing in front of him was...

He knew about the black serpent residing in Talulah's body, but to call it a god... that's too weak...

No matter how powerful the Chains of Heaven are against gods, they shouldn't be able to be taken down so easily...

Is there such a weak god?

You're supposed to be a god, so even if you're not the best, you should at least be able to make a few moves, right? Xia Yu herself didn't expect this attack to be enough to take down her opponent.

Both were tentative openings; Talulah tentatively swung her sword, and Talulah tentatively threw out the Chains of Heaven.

Then there is no more then.

Even Ishtar, that shameful goddess of Venus, could struggle a bit.

Moreover, he suspiciously approached Talulah's face, thinking, "She has divinity."

Unlike Chen, whose thin Eastern dragon bloodline brought divinity, a Dragon like Talulah is devoid of divinity no matter what.

Generally, it only takes damage from dragon-specific attacks, such as Siegfried's Noble Phantasm.

Such a weak...god?

Xia Yu twitched her nostrils slightly, then pushed her away from her with disgust.

Talulah's divinity carries an aura of decay; the Black Serpent is no good at all.

He looked at Talulah.

A vessel for divine intervention.

Just like the girl in Absolute Demonic Front: Babylonia who was used to summon Ishtar, she is a physical body prepared to receive divine intervention.

However… Xia Yu looked at Talulah, who was tightly bound by her, and thought that her method was too rough.

If magicians knew about the tricks Black Snake used, they would definitely include them in their collection of classic jokes.

Talulah then came to her senses.

She was captured.

Completely powerless to resist, those seemingly slow-moving chains were actually incredibly strong!

but……

She frowned.

Logically speaking, someone who is so shamefully tied up shouldn't have such thoughts.

Anger is understandable, shame is understandable, confusion is understandable—that's a normal human reaction, isn't it?

Why is this happening...?

Feeling the chains binding her, she actually felt a sense of ease and comfort.

That feeling, as if shackles had been removed...

Is this some kind of Originium Arts from the enemy...? Talulah's eyes gradually became unfocused...

Reason told her that this was wrong; she couldn't let herself be swayed by the enemy's schemes, as she still had many things to do.

However, since that night, that unforgettable night, she has never felt that kind of emotion again.

It felt like being freed from all darkness...

Perhaps, ending it like this isn't so bad.

"..."

Xia Yu watched as Talulah's expression gradually shifted from initial humiliation to a complex mix of emotions, sometimes resolute, sometimes sorrowful...

The image finally settled on that peaceful expression.

It looks like she could fall asleep right there if given a bed.

Is the Reunion Movement really that busy? Look how exhausted your leaders are...

Although she was complaining like this in her heart, Xia Yu knew the reason.

The process of the divine descent was suppressed by the Lock of Heaven, and the container naturally relaxed.

Talulah, relieved of the immense burden, immediately fell into a deep sleep.

She triggered her body's protective mechanisms.

Such a crude divine intervention could never have been voluntary.

Just kidding, if Xia Yu were willing, she could eat Chernobog whole!

If it were truly voluntary, the black snake wouldn't still be unable to fully possess this body.

Talulah collapsed peacefully against him, while Xia Yu simply supported her with one hand, his expression blank. He then sat down on the ground, pondering what to do next.

The place that should have been a battlefield became eerily quiet.

Even the Reunion Movement members were dumbfounded!

What are you doing, Leader?!

Why are you lying so peacefully in the enemy's arms?