Jeanne d'Arc sped off at full speed and attacked Mona Lisa. Her attack was blocked by one of Mona Lisa's Leonardos. The size of the Leonardo was now slightly smaller. The number of statues standing there had decreased slightly, and their strength had weakened. This was the effect of the light emitted by Jeanne d'Arc to temporarily seal her enemy's power.
Jeanne d'Arc was thrown backward, but she quickly charged again and pierced the statue blocking her. The statue shattered into pieces. Mona Lisa's vision became slightly blurrier. At that moment, Jeanne d'Arc managed to swing her long sword and hit Mona Lisa's chest.
With a satisfied smile, Jeanne d'Arc managed to destroy the illusion room created by Mona Lisa, and now they were both back in the original place—the city they had previously fought in.
"Finally, no more illusion games from now on."
Mona Lisa lay weakly on the ground. Jeanne d'Arc tried to approach her, but suddenly Mona Lisa's body exploded, throwing Jeanne d'Arc backward.
"What happened—"
A giant hand suddenly struck down hard from above. Jeanne d'Arc could only block the blow using her sword as a shield. Another hand emerged from below—out of the ground. It tightly gripped both her legs, and then a portal appeared right in front of her, and a large hand came out of the portal and slammed into Jeanne d'Arc.
Jeanne d'Arc was thrown far and crashed into a nearby building.
"What is this…" She limped slightly in pain.
Jeanne d'Arc tried to stand and raise her sword again. A thick fog began to obscure her vision. As she was about to move, a rope suddenly wrapped around her ankles. Jeanne d'Arc was shocked; she couldn't react or detect anything. Jeanne d'Arc was carried into the air by the rope tied around her feet and was thrown downwards with full force. Blood began to flow from her mouth. The rope continued to pull her ankles and swing her body in all directions. Her sword fell from her grasp, and now she was thrown far from her original position.
CRASH!!!!
Jeanne d'Arc tried to stand again, but the binding tightened as she tried to free herself. Jeanne d'Arc reached out her hand, and suddenly her long sword moved quickly towards her and reached her grasp. Jeanne d'Arc slammed her sword into the ground, and the rope binding was finally cut. Jeanne d'Arc tried to stand again, blood dripping from her entire body. Although her strength had recovered, her defense was very weak.
'What's going on? Shouldn't I have already destroyed her illusion? I was sure I had escaped that illusion world, but why….'
Jeanne d'Arc began to realize, 'could it be that all this time I was fighting her illusion itself? Which means I wasn't fighting anyone at all. So that's how it is….'
Jeanne d'Arc began to smile in satisfaction. The fog in front of her began to dim. Someone slowly walked towards her.
"So all this time, I was just wasting my time fighting your silly puppet… You turned yourself into a statue and let your illusion control those statues. It seems I did manage to destroy your puppet, but I didn't expect you to actually join this fight yourself. You are the puppet master, Mona Lisa. That was just a replica and an illusion, or at least I can call you Leonardo da Vinci!"
A man wearing a blue beret on his head and Renaissance formal attire stood before Jeanne d'Arc. He was Leonardo da Vinci.
"I didn't expect my puppet to be defeated so easily by someone like you. Ah! Or it's quite rude if I say it was quite easy, the fact is that you are not doing very well now, or maybe even worse than I thought."
'Still 7 minutes left, I can end this now.'
"Just so you know, your light only works on my puppets."
Jeanne d'Arc was slightly surprised.
Leonardo quickly appeared beside Jeanne d'Arc, "Your light can't have any effect on me."
Reflex! Jeanne d'Arc spun around and swung her sword at Leonardo with great force. Leonardo simply blocked it with one hand.
Swiftly, Jeanne d'Arc kicked Leonardo's stomach, sending him flying backward.
"I don't like rude women!"
Leonardo snapped his fingers. Instantly, the ground beneath Jeanne d'Arc crumbled and turned into a series of large, rotating wheels and gears below her. The surrounding buildings were now filled with moving anatomical sketches, weaponry, and mathematical structures.
'What is this?'
Jeanne d'Arc fell from her footing and landed on one of the moving gears. She looked up and saw Leonardo standing tall above her.
"Welcome to my world of Design, Jeanne d'Arc. This isn't an illusion, okay! This is just a collection of my ideas and calculations."
The statues that she had previously destroyed now reappeared. The statues were still slightly smaller in size, which meant the effect of Jeanne d'Arc's light was still working on them.
Jeanne d'Arc jumped and swung her sword with all her might.
"ARFANAMA!!!"
In an instant, the statues shattered into pieces. Jeanne d'Arc used this situation to launch an attack on Leonardo da Vinci, who was standing tall in front of her.
As she was about to approach, a series of portals suddenly appeared from behind Leonardo. The portals released golden chains that quickly snaked out to attack Jeanne d'Arc.
Slightly surprised, Jeanne d'Arc took a step back and fended off the chains trying to attack her from all directions.
'This is very troublesome!'
Jeanne d'Arc landed on one of the gears spinning backward. Jeanne gritted her teeth, sweat and blood mixing on her face. Time was running out. Seven minutes… now only five.
She jumped with all her might and pointed her sword forward—straight towards where Leonardo stood.
"ARFANAMA!!!"
A bright light erupted from her sword and struck Leonardo da Vinci, who stood still far ahead. The chains began to disappear. Leonardo fell from his spot after being hit by the light from Jeanne d'Arc's sword.
'Opportunity!'
Jeanne d'Arc jumped closer to the falling Leonardo. Leonardo smiled at her and took out a brush. He drew a strange circle. Suddenly, a cluster of light needles emerged from it. The cluster of needles made Jeanne d'Arc slightly panicked. However, she managed to avoid the cluster of needles in time. Her steps halted; Leonardo now landed right below her—between the rotating wheels.
"So this is how you fight? Very childish."
"I don't care how complicated your design is! I will destroy it slowly," Jeanne d'Arc smiled thinly, then threw her sword at Leonardo.
Leonardo easily dodged it and looked down at Jeanne d'Arc with contempt. He only replied with a smile.
"Explode! Heavenly light!"
BAMMM!!!
Leonardo looked back and was simply blown away. Leonardo fell from the explosion. He didn't expect this to happen.
'I see… she threw her sword, then her sword hit those rotating gears and detonated them. The explosion sent all those spinning gears and wheels flying towards me. Quite clever!'
Falling, Leonardo reached out his hand, then a portal opened, and he entered it. Quickly, Jeanne d'Arc picked up her sword and followed him into the portal.
– –
Smoke and dust obscured vision. Silence. From within the mist, the figure of Empedocles… stood tall above them.
Adam knelt, exhausted. Sasaki trembled, holding his two swords that were slowly beginning to crumble.
"What does he want to do now?" Sasaki asked Adam.
"I'm not sure, but the air around here is getting hot."
They both began to sense something strange around where they were standing.
Suddenly, an explosion erupted from underground. Sacred flames spread upwards and surrounded Empedocles's body. Adam and Sasaki Kojiro were forced to evade the explosion that came from the ground—the place where they stood.
The blaze covered Empedocles's entire body. Now, Empedocles enclosed himself in a swirling inferno.
"Is he going into fire element mode now?" Adam asked, slightly uneasy.
Sasaki Kojiro nodded, "Possibly. Now the flames are covering his entire body. We don't know what will happen next. Be ready, Adam!"
"Yes!!!"
The flames covering Empedocles's body began to melt and slowly fade. Adam and Sasaki Kojiro were shocked when they saw a giant three-headed dog emerge from the flames.
"He has to be kidding…" Adam said.
"That form…"
A three-headed dog whose body was enveloped in fire, with wide wings on its back, its tail long and snaking like a serpent, and a cluster of flames trailing at the tip of its tail.
Empedocles descended and stared at the two of them, ready to attack!
"Now witness the evolution of my Stark's fire element."
"MERCURIUS!!!!"
Empedocles raised one of his hands. Claws emerged from within his hand, and he slammed it into the ground. The impact caused the ground beneath Adam and Sasaki to crack and crumble instantly.
They both managed to avoid the attack. But suddenly, Empedocles was already behind Sasaki Kojiro. He swung his tail and struck Sasaki's back. Sasaki was thrown and fell to the ground.
Empedocles stomped hard on the ground, causing seismic waves to spread. A cluster of hot flames emerged from the ground and spread towards Sasaki Kojiro, who was trying to stand. His steps faltered; he didn't have time to avoid the approaching flames.
Swiftly, Adam grabbed Sasaki Kojiro and carried him in his arms. They both ran from the flames with their remaining strength. They finally hid behind a towering rock.
"Hey, can't you do something?" Sasaki Kojiro said.
"Me? I can't even get close to him. His body is covered in incredibly hot flames. Just being near him makes my whole body start to burn."
"Yes, that's true. We can't attack him from close range. And if this continues, he could burn us both to ashes."
"I don't want that to happen."
"Me neither…"
"So what should we do?" Adam shouted, slightly panicked.
Sasaki Kojiro held Adam's shoulders, "I'm counting on you, kid!"
"What! What do you mean, counting on me?"
"Your power!" Sasaki said. Adam was slightly surprised, then he continued.
"My power? You mean Stark?"
"Yes! Show it to me."
Adam turned his face away, "I don't really understand it myself. Everything I think suddenly becomes reality. When I fought Elizabeth, I was clearly annoyed and really wanted to hit her. Suddenly, a very large amount of power gathered in my hand. When Lu Bu lost control, it was the same; everything just happened."
"That's it!" Sasaki Kojiro shouted.
"What?"
"Your thoughts! Your thoughts are your Stark!"
"Ehh… I'm not sure."
"Use your imagination, convince yourself, and release all of it from your body."
Adam was silent for a moment and looked hesitant. But at that moment, Sasaki Kojiro began to release his hands and picked up his two swords again.
"I'll divert his attention. You have to attack him if there's a chance, okay!"
"Wait, but I—"
"FOUND YOU!"
Empedocles stood right above them, peeking down, then exhaling hot breath from his mouth. Adam and Sasaki Kojiro dodged the attack and separated. Sasaki Kojiro launched an attack to draw Empedocles's attention. Empedocles was baited; now Sasaki Kojiro had to buy time so that Adam could unleash his full power.
'I'm entrusting all of this to you, Adam!'
Adam stood far away, watching Sasaki Kojiro who was busy diverting Empedocles's attention. He began to breathe slowly and closed his eyes. He started to imagine all the events he remembered. How to make that punch again, how he could know his true power. And he also remembered that earlier he had felt a slight pleasure when deflecting the cluster of fiery rocks released by Empedocles.
'That's it!'
He took a stance to launch an attack. He took a breath and brought his palms together, then pulled them back slightly.
A light appeared from his palms. He could feel all the energy and power gathered into one—just as he had imagined.
Just as Sasaki Kojiro wanted to make a makeshift attack, suddenly Empedocles's tail managed to hit him from behind. The tail twisted and moved like a snake. His two swords fell and stuck in the ground. Sasaki Kojiro fell, and one of Empedocles's feet held down his body.
'Hot….'
Sasaki Kojiro groaned in pain. Empedocles's three dog mouths began to open wide, and a raging fire began to come out of them. Suddenly, Sasaki Kojiro saw a very bright light from behind him. The light also diverted Empedocles's gaze. Empedocles turned around and saw a very bright light coming out of Adam's hands.
"Get away… from him!!!!"
BAMMMM!!!
A beam of light shot out from Adam's hands and hit Empedocles. The light continued to pour out of Adam's hands, sending Empedocles flying far backward.
An explosion was created, and it was quite large. Sasaki Kojiro stared in disbelief. Adam put his hand on the ground—he was a little exhausted. Sasaki Kojiro picked up his two swords that were stuck in the ground and stood up, then walked towards the exhausted Adam.
"Are you okay?" Sasaki said, helping Adam up.
"Yeah… I can't believe it actually worked."
"That was amazing. What's the name of that move?"
"Name?"
"Like my Siryu technique."
"Ah, that's right, I didn't have time to think about it earlier."
Sasaki Kojiro laughed lightly, "It's okay, you can think about it later. The problem here isn't completely over yet."
"Yeah… he's still alive!"
Empedocles stood tall from behind the smoke created by Adam's attack. Parts of his body were riddled with holes, and one of his wings was missing from the attack.
Empedocles opened one of his mouths and fired a scorching hot flame at the two of them.
"Watch out—"
"It's okay, it's my turn to protect you now. And this one is on me," Sasaki said with a thin smile, looking at the flames slowly approaching them.
Sasaki Kojiro raised both his swords a little higher and joined the hilts of the two swords together. He spun the sword with full force until the wind blew strongly around him.
"Let's end this fight!"
Sasaki Kojiro darted forward along with his two swords still spinning in his hands. Slowly, he began to approach the flames, and as he entered the blaze, he vanished completely—swallowed by the fire.
Adam panicked slightly, but suddenly he was slightly surprised when he saw the flames begin to surge and spin away from him.
Empedocles opened his other two mouths again and fired flames of the same scale as the first time he had fired. The flames began to cover the area around them, and the place where they stood now looked like hell.
"Everything will end here…"
Sasaki Kojiro spun his body following the direction of his sword's rotation. The flames engulfing him instantly extinguished. His sword spin stopped, and he unleashed a very powerful slash towards Empedocles.
"NITORYU, Windbreaker!!!"
SLASHHHH
The slash unleashed by Sasaki Kojiro managed to pierce through Empedocles, splitting Empedocles's body into two parts. Empedocles's true form began to be visible behind it.
'This is the last chance.'
Adam stood and watched from afar. He clenched his fist tightly and dashed at full speed, then slammed into Empedocles's face.
Empedocles was thrown far by Adam's punch and crashed into a towering mountain.
The world they were fighting in slowly began to crack and crumble. Now they were back in their original world. Empedocles didn't respond at all. They both lost track of Empedocles and returned to their original world, and strangely, there was no damage here at all.
"Did we succeed?" Adam asked, astonished.
Sasaki Kojiro looked at Adam and slowly smiled. "Yes, it seems we managed to defeat one of them."
Time was still frozen in their original world. Adam and Sasaki Kojiro managed to escape the illusion world created by Mona Lisa. Lu Bu and Leonidas were still fighting, risking their identities. Jeanne d'Arc was still in pursuit in Leonardo da Vinci's systematic world, who had previously used Mona Lisa as his puppet vessel.