Arknights' Lock of Heaven

Therefore, she had nothing to say.

Even if patriots were to take her head, she would simply close her eyes and await death.

Patriot, the stubborn Wendigo, remained silent in the face of Talulah's soliloquy.

He didn't know how to face Talulah now.

If it were a black snake in front of him, he wouldn't hesitate to draw his halberd.

But Talulah... Talulah...

He was one of the first to recognize Talulah's leadership, and he led the guerrillas and shield guards to join the Reunion Movement established by Talulah, becoming one of the earliest core members.

Patriots still remember that girl, this warrior who was determined to open a bright path for the infected, sat by a campfire on the snowfield, holding a cup of hot water in her hand, excitedly describing her ideal to her followers.

She talked about her ideals with her followers, she fought alongside the infected against the Ursus army, leading from the front, she cleared a path for the infected across the snowfield, and she looked sad when her comrades were tormented by Oripathy...

These patriots all remember.

He still remembered that night when Yelena was still somewhat resentful of Talulah, so she asked her all sorts of tricky questions to make things difficult for her, but Talulah managed to resolve them one by one.

Even though Talulah was not mature enough in the eyes of the Patriots, she already had the appearance of a leader.

Even the patriot, as he gradually felt powerless against his ailing body and lost his way in the future, was irresistibly drawn to her ideals and willing to submit to others.

Otherwise, given the Patriots' prestige on the snowfields, how could Talulah have become the leader of the Reunion Movement?

But all these beautiful visions were destroyed as the conspiracy unfolded.

Talulah's methods became increasingly forceful, and her style gradually changed. By the time Patriot realized it, it was too late.

She has already bewitched far too many people and stirred up hatred in them.

Wise people are everywhere, and it's not like no one in the Reunion Movement saw through Talulah's methods.

But what if you see it? Go and tell those infected who have been provoked, those infected who are destined to die of Oripathy soon, that your hatred has been provoked. Isn't that right?

Who among those who can be easily swayed will listen?

So Patriot could only watch as the Reunion Movement, the ship he had once placed his hopes on, carried the hopes of the infected toward the abyss.

But he had no way to solve it.

Fortunately, someone lent a helping hand to the ship.

Now, the Patriot who once awed Ursus is back.

At this moment, facing Talulah in front of him, he didn't know what to say.

The Doctor remained silent as always, while Kal'tsit simply gazed quietly at Amiya on the stretcher. Xia Yu... he was heartbroken over his lost magic power.

It took so much effort to build up a thin layer, and before I knew it, half of it was gone.

Miracles come at a price; so do magical artifacts and even the immortal flower that brings the dead back to life.

Fortunately, the remnant soul of the black snake can be considered a gain.

But the magicians in the Type-Moon world are really daring... They even have spells that can turn gods into Mystic Codes...

Thank you again to Fujimaru Ritsuka and Chaldea for their sponsorship!

The Bad Guy sailed toward Rhodes Island in the silence of the crowd.

-

"Hey, have you made up your mind?" W glanced sideways at the Sarkaz mercenaries beside him, fiddling with a detonator in his hand. "Want to join me?"

“At least give us a reason,” a Sarkaz sighed. “We can’t just blindly follow you based on a few empty words, can we?”

"Reason?" W shrugged. "Is freedom enough?"

"Huh?" The Sarkaz gaped. "Freedom?"

"free?!"

Their tone gradually turned mocking.

Demons, mercenaries, where do they get their freedom?

"Anyway, you have nowhere else to go, don't you?" W stretched. "At least, I'll pay you your wages."

"You know the treatment you get when you work for me."

"And incidentally, I'll pursue the freedom she once spoke of."

As someone who has transcended vulgar interests, W is known to be quite generous to his subordinates.

“Alright,” the Sarkaz were convinced, “we have nowhere else to go anyway.”

-

Core city.

The Shield Guards and guerrillas are clearing out the Reunion Movement.

To be precise, it's about cleaning up those Integration Movement members who have completely turned into thugs.

Anyone with even a shred of conscience had already rallied to the Shield Guards during the weeks-long riots in Chernobyl.

Because this is one of the few teams that still has some rationality.

Faust sat in the corner, clutching his crossbow, silently staring at the ground. He had been like this ever since he learned of Mephistopheles' death.

The phantom crossbowmen gathered around him.

The Shield Guards were relatively friendly to them because Faust had been keeping them in check and hadn't committed any atrocities.

The infected who had escaped from Lungmen also gathered around them. The most fanatical ones had already died at the hands of the Guard Bureau, and most of the remaining ones were rational.

The Yeti team was sent out to find a way back to the snowfield.

They'll leave once the patriots return.

Returning to the snowfield where we struggled for decades.

85 Awakening

"She had never slept so peacefully before."

Patriot stroked the door of the room, staring blankly at Froststar lying peacefully on the hospital bed.

His voice, which once boomed like a bell and instilled countless fears in the enemy on the battlefield, was now so...deep.

So cautious.

For a moment, this resolute soldier couldn't even bear to wake his daughter.

Let her sleep a little longer, even if it's just a little while.

She hadn't felt this relaxed in a long time.

Life on the snowfields was tough. Besides the endless snow and wind, the wild beasts and the Ursus army gave the guerrillas no time to catch their breath.

As the princess of the Yetis, Frostnova has been fighting on the front lines, but her health is deteriorating, and the coldness brought on by Oripathy has long since penetrated her bones.

Even when asleep, he always has a furrowed brow, whether from illness or anxiety about tomorrow, it's hard to tell.

Now, on that snow-white hospital bed, Yelena had a slight smile on her lips. Even though she didn't quite understand the medical equipment, at least her face was no longer lacking in color.

The girl in front of me must be having a beautiful dream.

Patriot stood quietly at the door of the ward, watching his daughter.

He couldn't bear to wake her from this beautiful dream.

Although he couldn't stay on Rhodes Island for long, he still needed to find a way to survive for the core city and the infected abandoned in Chernobog.

“Her condition is stable, and her Oripathy has regressed to the level it was at when she was first infected,” Warfarin said softly as she approached Patriot with a stack of documents. “Do you want to wake her up?”

Warfarin also maintained a certain level of respect for this ancient Sarkaz.

It's not just because of his identity, but also because of everything he has done over the years.

“I…I don’t know,” Patriot lowered his head blankly, “I…”

This doesn't sound like something a patriot would say.

In the eyes of the world, his will was as strong as steel, so how could he hesitate like this?

“From a professional doctor’s perspective, I suggest you wake her up as soon as possible,” Warfarin sighed. “Although it seems like a beautiful dream, this is not good for her health.”

"Intravenous fluid replacement is okay for emergencies, but it can't maintain the nutrition her body needs indefinitely."

"Moreover, the rumors about the everlasting flower are just rumors and need to be verified. If you can't wake her up, we need to find a solution as soon as possible."

Of course, these were just excuses. Warfarin knew exactly what the Undying Flower was. The reason she urged Patriot to wake Frostnova as soon as possible was because she might wake up at any moment.

These past two days, when Warfarin was giving her injections, she even felt that if she were a little too rough, this sleeping beauty would wake up.

If you're going to put on a show, you have to go all the way. Since you said you need someone important to wake you up, then you can only wake up when the Patriot arrives.

Patriot trembled slightly upon hearing this.

He was terrified of this possibility.

This fear was not unfounded. How could the so-called sage, who had placed such a significant stake on himself, simply not ask for any reward, as he claimed?