CHAPTER 1355: ABOUT TIME!

...One quick interlude before we get back to it...

As the fighting in the mines intensified, Zhen Liu finally managed to find a spot that was hidden away enough for him to don his [Stigma].

’Alright. It’s show time.’

Concentrating his aether and [Chaos], Zhen Liu summoned his [MY Driver].

[MY Driver, online!]

’Huh...does it look different or am I going nuts?’ Zhen Liu asked himself as he stared at the interface for his [Stigma] and [Regalia], noticing that some of the details seemed different from the last time he used it.

’Seriously, why does it appear as something has been growing on it or—’

[Wait, director?!]

’Razorstella! Perfect timing!’

Before Zhen Liu could finish his thought, he found himself being interrupted by the appearance of a certain star-like ballerina made of blades, popping out of a hole in the ground.

Razorstella was about as big as a figurine at this time, but she was planning to go in swinging...until she ran into Zhen Liu.

[Where were you—wait, I can just—gah! I hate not being properly connected,] Razorstella complained. [When are you going to get all of that fixed?]

’Hopefully soon,’ Zhen Liu answered back, [but right now, I’m going to need your help in catching that rocket-covered rat king off his guard. Mind landing me a hand?’

[Of course, director,] Razorstella nodded.

’Henshin!’

[MY Driver, Maou mode!]

Heavy metal riff

[I am the king of desire!]

Immediately after Zhen Liu had donned his [Stigma], Razorstella transformed into a [Taboo].

[Taboo, expose!]

If anyone is was staring in Zhen Liu’s direction at this time, they would’ve been dazzled and blinded by starlight, almost as if their eyes were about to get sliced out.

’Alright, let’s get to fucking work.’

...How nobody noticed that, who knows?...

[Thunder Fire Blitz!]

Taurna’s charge towards the palanquin was everything but subtle.

The bovine bloodliner knew that if she attempted to weave through all of the ongoing fighting normally, without disturbing her allies or enemies, it would simply lead to her getting stalled for longer than necessary.

There was also a very real chance that someone would attempt to attack her on her way to the palanquin, anyways.

Therefore, Taurna figured that she might as well give her allies and enemies a proper warning so that they could get out of the way...or stay still long enough for them to get impaled by one of Taurna’s horns.

Dante has, understandably, noticed this incoming attack. However, he didn’t panic in the slightest.

Hell, he didn’t even look impressed at this display of raw might.

^Hmmm.^

Instead, without even turning to look completely or providing the smallest modicum of attention, Dante fired off another rat rocket in Taurna’s direction.

Correction: an oxen rocket.

Whether this was due to hilarious irony or innate cruelty would be unclear to outsiders, but Dante had done so for the former.

He apparently thought it was rather hilarious for a a cow to get blown up by a cow-shaped missile.

^Taurna, no!^

Had any other warrior drawn Dante’s fire at this moment, Lyona wouldn’t have screamed in panic.

Other warriors in this situation would understand concepts such as dodging, or using an enemy warrior as cover.

Taurna, however, wasn’t like that.

Living up to her bloodline, Taurna’s main method of attacking and defending and we charging at her opponents while cycling her aether in a way that it formed a protective bubble around herself as she charged.

With the additional of [Chaos], she was basically invincible.

Against normal aether arts.

Against a [Taboo] rocket that was absolutely loaded with [Chaos], Taurna’s defensive measures was like attempting to use balloon to block a giant needle made of tungsten.

In other words, Taurna was fucked.

That is, unless someone intervened.

’Come on, Nepherage!’ Lyona said as she began to make move to intercepting the missile. ’We have to get in there before—’

[No need,] Nepherage informed her current host. [Taurna is about to get rescued right...now.]

’Huh?’

Just as Lyona was about to question whether or not Nepherage was messing with her, a massive surge of [Chaos] flared up in the same direction as where Dante’s rocket and Taurna’s charge was about to collide.

Surprisingly, this change in energy also grabbed Dante’s attention.

^This feeling... HE’S HERE?!^

Dante didn’t receive a direct answer to his question.

Instead, he was greeted by the sight of his ox-headed missile getting bisected by a giant shuriken that looked as if part of the night sky had been ripped from the heavens and reformed into a buzzsaw of doom.

The missile didn’t even explode until it had completely bypassed Taurna and impacted the cavern wall directly behind her.

^Whoa!^

Needless to say, the sudden double explosion caused Taurna’s ass to fall to the ground out of shock and surprise.

As for the buzzsaw, it proceeded to scream through the air and almost take Dante’s head clean off of his shoulders. Unfortunately, the bastard managed to use one of his [Taboo] flamethrower arms to throw his body backwards so that he can do a handstand kick and send the shuriken flying upwards.

If it was a normal shuriken, it would keep going until it impacted the ceiling and became stuck.

But because this shuriken was actually a [Taboo], it immediately corrected itself in order to return to its owner’s hand.

[Pity. I was hoping to take your filthy head from your profane shoulders,] a deep voice enhanced by [Chaos] echoed throughout the cavern.

The sound of this voice was like a gunshot in a church. Everyone couldn’t help but to stare.

...

^Son of a bitch!^

The sudden explosion behind her had tripped up Taurna and forced her to roll forward like an armadillo.

That is, until she rolled into what felt like a thick oak tree made of iron.

Once she had stopped, Taurna managed to get back on her feet relatively quickly.

^Oi! What’s the big ide...you are very tall...^

Taurna was all set to rip whomever just stopped her roll a new one, since she assumed that they were the reason why they were sent tumbling in the first place.

Any complaints she had, though, died in her throat the moment she saw who it was exactly that stopped her roll.

[Apologies, miss. I meant to cut it clean enough that the explosion wouldn’t occur in the first place.]

^Thats...that no problem,^ Taurna replied while staring the new combatant that manifested before her.

Standing before her was a giant of a man in deep black armor that wielded the giant constellation-like shuriken as if it was a weapon bestowed upon him by the heavens. Combined with the golden horns that seemed to form a crown-like structure around his head, the warrior before her vaguely reminded Taurna of Dante. Albeit, this one looked significantly more...regal.

And a whole lot fucking hotter too.

[Pardon me, miss, but I do believe you have my friend, Blazejudicator possessing you currently. Yes?]

^Uh...he is...^

[Do you mind if I borrow him? I’m going to need him to save your blood sister.]

^Huh? But I’m going to need his help to fight off the other kaijin.wait, how did you know that Lyona is my—^

[In that case,] the dark armored figure interrupted, [then how about you and I trade?]

^Say what?^

Without explaining any further, Zhen Liu had Razorstella transform from her shuriken-like taboo form into her spirit ball form.

Once this has occurred, he made a gesture that made it appear that he was willing her forward and into Taurna’s body. At the same time, Blazejudicator retracted his presence before flying forward and back into Zhen Liu’s body.

Needless to say, the sudden shift in who was possessing her was incredibly jarring.

^What the hell just happened?!^ Taurna asked aloud.

[Hi there, cowgirl. Name’s Razorstella. You and I going to outshine everyone in this hell hole. Well, maybe not as much as the director but I’ll make sure you’re the most stunning star in the sky. Hmm, maybe not the most appropriate analogy for the moment...]

^Director?^

...

’Alright, Blazejudicator. You ready to make some noise?’

[Let’s see how hot his sins is going to burn this mother fucker.]

’Amen.’

...

Instead of explaining, Razorstella simply urged Taurna to look up at Zhen Liu’s armored form.

^Wait a minute! You mean to tell me that—^

FWOOSH!

^WHOA!^

Before Taurna could finish asking for clarification, the dark armored figure before her suddenly became engulfed in a rainbow of flames that caused the armor to undergo a dramatic transformation.

Before, he looked like a horned lord of monsters that dominated all through mere presence alone.

Now, though, the warrior before her looked like a judge from the deepest pits of the underworld, wreathed in flaming robes that shined with all the colors of [Vice] and [Virtue].

At this point, Taurna didn’t know if this was the coolest thing she had ever seen, the most terrifying thing she has ever seen...or incredibly hot.

Either way, she was stunned silent.

[Now then, it’s about time I show this pretender how a real Kaijin Lord fights.]