Arknights' Lock of Heaven

The exploding flames swept outwards; this was Draco's power.

It wasn't an attack; it was simply letting the power hidden within the body surge forth.

ACE protected Rosemary. Patriot wanted to stand in front of Amiya, but the black light and the sword light of Crimson Sky that was strong enough to cut through magic made him stop.

“Step back,” Patriot said in a deep voice. “Leave this to me.”

Upon hearing this, Amiya silently pulled Chen towards the outer perimeter.

ACE also included rosemary.

Now is the time for patriots.

"Despicable god, come and try!" He slammed his halberd heavily into the ground. "Let's see if your despicable act can overcome my shield."

"Overcome this, Infected Shield!"

77. March!

Can the flames of the red dragon overcome the shield and halberd of the Wendigo?

The answer is no.

No matter how intense the flames were, the silent Wendigo, like a mountain peak, advanced step by step under unparalleled pressure.

The intangible flames were easily dispersed by the howling halberd; the proud high temperature was so powerless.

"This is the power you, who call yourself a god, possess?"

Patriot stepped forward, weapon in hand, and shouted, "Weakness!"

Kosiché was hidden behind the rising flames, his face obscured.

He waved his hand slightly, and a giant dragon formed from flames roared as it attacked the last Wendigo in the world.

But the halberd that once swung at the silver spear of Kazimir reappeared, and the ferocious dragon was beheaded in the blink of an eye.

"Powerless!"

As soon as he finished speaking, two malevolent flames suddenly appeared behind Patriot, then merged instantly, sweeping over like wildfire.

But Patriot had more than just a halberd; his nearly two-meter-tall shield slammed down with a terrifying howling wind, and the fire tornado could no longer maintain its shape, dissipating into the air.

"Is this what you call the power of God?" Patriot's deep voice came from behind his helmet.

"So, you dare to call yourself a god?"

Kosiché remained silent.

He has contingency plans for dealing with patriots.

He knew the Patriot's weakness: this old Wendigo was reluctant to die.

It wasn't fear of death, but rather that he had too many things he cared about.

He won't fight to the death with himself; there are many others waiting for him.

Therefore, Koschche was confident that he could escape unscathed with this body once the truth came out.

He thought he had Patriot's weakness in mind, so he waited quietly on the command tower, hoping to make up for the losses one last time.

He finally got to see Chen, which was a good result. Talulah's consciousness was still resisting him, so he could just cut off her attachment like this.

This brings us one step closer to completely assimilating Talulah.

But he felt as if things were out of his control.

The Patriot's advance was unstoppable; he didn't care about his own life at all!

They seemed determined to stay here at all costs.

Something happened that I didn't know about.

Kosiché's face darkened as he looked at Patriot's mountain-like figure.

"I haven't seen Froststar," he said tentatively. "What, did she die at Lungmen covering Faust's retreat, as the intelligence said?"

"Yes, she seems like the kind of person who would choose to die like this, after all, she didn't have much life left."

"What a great sacrifice."

“You are not worthy to comment on Yelena,” Patriot said, swinging his halberd once again to thwart Kosiché’s attack.

"And did you know?" Kosichek grinned sinisterly through the flames, "that girl the Rhodes Island people just rescued, she's from Lungmen."

"Let me think about it, the position seems quite high. She is the head of the special inspection team and the niece of Wei Yanwu, the governor of Lungmen. She is the future master of Lungmen."

"It seems that the Reunion Movement's invasion of Lungmen was defended under her command, and your compatriots and daughter, whom you care about, also died in that city under her command."

"Having made such a great contribution, she should rightfully be promoted and given a title. Her experience in rescuing Lungmen from the tyrannical infected is also enough for her to overwhelm all objections preventing her from inheriting Lungmen."

"But young people, they're so overconfident, trying to take the credit for what they've got and take my head, the culprit. Tsk tsk tsk..."

"Why does she think she can do something that even Wei Yanwu couldn't do?"

“You…” Chen picked up Chixiao, wanting to go forward and fight this evil god to the death, but was immediately stopped by Amiya.

It's not their time to make their appearance yet.

"You want to shake my will?" Patriot scoffed. "You think you can make me turn against you with just a few words?"

“I’ve never intended to,” Kosichek shook his head. “Never.”

"Even the cruel winds and snow on the Ursus snowfields could not shake your heart, so how could I presume to do so with just a few words?"

"In this world, how many people can shake your will?"

"I just want to get some answers."

"Why do you appear before me with such a vengeful attitude? My plans to deal with you are now completely useless. Have you abandoned your principles? Is your heart filled only with hatred? Do you want to take revenge on me, the mastermind behind it all?"

"No, you are a patriot, and no one can shake your beliefs. I am absolutely certain of that."

"It seems the mistake really did occur at Longmen, in Yan Kingdom..."

"Frostnova isn't dead, is she?"

Patriots did not respond.

"Ah, so that's how it is. Frostnova didn't die after all. But that's not enough. We're still missing one element."

“Let me think about it,” Kosiché said with a thoughtful expression. “Rhodes Island, yes, that’s the variable.”

"I remember the intelligence mentioned that Rhodes Island seems to be a pharmaceutical company that specializes in Oripathy, and it also seems to have some unclear relationship with the Tower of Babel."

"No wonder you came with them, no wonder you looked like you wanted to die with me..."

"So you've already seen hope."

"The Tower of Babel, or rather Rhodes Island, developed a drug that can cure Oripathy, right? And it's incredibly effective. They healed Frostnova, giving you hope for Reunion. Because you also served under that queen, you chose to trust them."

"No, Rhodes Island must have given you decisive evidence! They've removed all your worries!"

"This is truly, incredibly big news..."

Kosiché's face was filled with shock. "Compared to this news, everything I've planned is just a backdrop."

Upon hearing this, even Chen forgot his hatred and looked at Amiya with a shocked expression.

As an infected person, Chen knew all too well what kind of existence the drugs for treating Oripathy were in this world.

Moreover, after so many years as a police officer, the tragedy brought about by contracting Oripathy... almost filled his life and work.

It's fair to say that drugs that can effectively treat Oripathy are enough to sweep the world.

Master this, and you master the future!

But Chen didn't see the message he hoped to see on Amiya's face; there was only a strange expression.

ACE chuckled. He wasn't exactly a taciturn person; it was just that the battlefield wasn't a place for much talk.

Rhodes Island has been working towards developing a cure for Oripathy, but...

Still a long way off.

Even the Patriots wavered a little upon hearing this.

A barely perceptible, muffled laugh emanated from beneath that terrifying helmet.

"Was I wrong?" Kosic said, patting his chest. "You really gave me a fright."

"But if that's not the case, then where does the variable come from? I clearly even mentioned the least likely guess?"

No one will answer his question.

Because the Patriot had come before him.

Even the gods who have reigned over Ursus for millennia could not stop the advance of the last Wendigo in the world.

78 deaths

"This is... what they call God?"

Patriot lowered his shield, reached out and grabbed Kosichä by the neck, lifting her up to eye level.