Although unsure exactly what was happening, Su and the others could deduce some things from Lee's current behavior.
Without hesitation, Aponia and Su immediately released their psychic senses, searching the surroundings for any suspicious mental fluctuations, trying to trace back to the source, to find the entity directing all this—but ultimately, aside from a vague, seemingly omnipresent aura, they found nothing else out of the ordinary.
In the next instant, a tsunami-like wave of mental interference surged towards them, forcing them to immediately retract their focus and confront the attack head-on.
It wasn't just mental; the extreme heat of the Might of An-Utu was unleashed to its absolute limit, with nothing held back. In a mere moment, the surrounding earth was burned into glass, devoid of any sign of life.
Elysia and the others, who had just gained a sliver of confidence, were once again pushed into a disadvantageous position. Lee's attacks were vastly different from before, each move with the extremely clear purpose: to kill them on the spot!
"Lee, you..."
"That's why I told you... it's better to forget!"
Though her expression was contorted with struggle, each word seemingly squeezed painfully from her throat, the greatsword in Lee's hand showed no hesitation.
Every strike was lethal, even carrying an intent of mutual destruction, as if she were determined to drag Elysia down with her, even at the cost of her own life.
"The more you know, the more things slip beyond Its control... And anything outside Its control, It will try Its utmost to eliminate, only then can It feel at ease!"
Ignoring the attacks meant to force her onto the defensive, Lee brought the greatsword down heavily. At the cost of sustaining injuries herself, she shattered the phantom of herself shielding the others with heat even fiercer than the Might of An-Utu state of Shamash, reducing it to ashes.
"And now, your attempt to probe Its true identity will only cause It greater unease, leading It to try everything, just like this, to eliminate you!"
"...Things have already come to this. Previous plans are useless now."
Blood seeped from her wounds. Lee gasped for breath, silently raising the greatsword and pointing it at Elysia. "Kill me here with all your might, Elysia, then run as far as you can... Don't tell anyone else about this, perhaps you can still survive."
"No. No one will die here today."
Clang!!!
A cold voice sounded from behind. The others present barely even saw the flash of blades as two identical, burning greatswords collided heavily!
"Kevin!"
Elysia cried out in surprise. She was astonished, never expecting to utter this name one day with a tone usually reserved for a savior.
"Kevin... Of all times, you're not late this time..."
A strained smile touched Lee's lips, but her body seemed to uncontrollably launch an attack towards Kevin Kaslana.
...Not late, or perhaps I've actually been late for a very long time?
Looking at Lee's pained expression, Kevin pondered this question while parrying her attacks.
Upon sensing the burst of Honkai energy fluctuations moments ago, he had immediately rushed over. The result was indeed saving Elysia, so he wasn't late.
But what about Lee?
Even if Kevin were to gouge out his own eyes right now, he could sense that the current Lee wasn't acting of her own will. She was like a machine programmed with commands, her body forced to fight by some unseen directive.
Why had Lee become like this... Was it because he was too late again, failing to protect her in time?
Fortunately, this time, his tardiness seemed fixable.
In the next instant, Kevin flung the Judgement of Shamash in his hand aside. The blade in Lee's hand, burning with intense heat, was caught directly in his grasp as she swung it down, subsequently freezing over! Not only that, the ice spread rapidly, continuing until Lee's sword-wielding hands were encased in crystal.
The gap between people can sometimes be greater than that between humans and Honkai Beasts. As the undisputed strongest existence of the Previous Era, the power Kevin displayed at this moment allowed him to easily suppress the Lee whom Elysia and the others, even working together, had struggled to overcome.
Looking at Lee, trapped just within arm's reach, Kevin felt a rare trace of... joy in his heart.
Not joy from attacking Lee, but joy that the strength he had honed over so many years seemed to finally serve its true purpose for once—he had stopped the unwilling Lee, freeing her from the terrible predicament of a deathmatch against her comrades!
Though countless words welled up within him, at this moment, Kevin simply spoke softly after a pause, "I'm here... It's alright now, Lee."
How he wished he could have said these words fifty thousand years ago, during her moment of deepest despair... He had replayed it countless times with his eyes closed, only to be jolted awake again and again by the cruel reality of the ending.
But now, it seemed the mistakes he made might have a chance to be rectified—
"It's meaningless, Kevin..." There was no joy on the face of the restrained Lee, only lingering, deep sorrow. "If the opponent were really just someone like me, things would be much simpler... But I'm here now only because It initially thought I alone would suffice. If I fail now, then It will definitely get serious next... We are too weak, Kevin. Even you won't have the strength to resist."
Kevin couldn't speak, only stand there silently watching Lee.
He desperately wanted to offer some grand words to comfort Lee, to tell her he wouldn't lose, that he would prove humanity's courage to her... But he didn't dare anymore.
The last time he had spoken with such bravado, he subsequently challenged the Herrscher of the End, whom he thought he could defeat. The final result became his nightmare for millennia. So now, he preferred to remain silent rather than touch that memory again.
How strong was the enemy hiding behind the scenes? Kevin didn't know, but even when comparing It to the strongest Herrscher of the End he had ever seen, he felt he wasn't without a fighting chance now.
He wasn't alone this time. Elysia and his other companions were here, ready to provide support. Moreover, after so many years of training, his strength had improved by leaps and bounds compared to his reckless youth.
He had even grasped some of Elysia's unique techniques... Even if the true Herrscher of the Finality descended, going all out might not guarantee defeat.
Kevin silently reached out and grasped the ice encasing Lee's arm, as if afraid her figure would vanish before his eyes the next second.
Then he waited, waited for the appearance of the power Lee spoke of.
If the opponent decides to step in personally, then having a clear enemy makes things simpler—?!
A sudden chill.
An aura instantly enveloped the surroundings, its boundaries imperceptible, sending a sudden chill down Kevin's spine.
He couldn't even pinpoint where the power originated from, which could only mean one thing: the enemy's power existed on a dimension fundamentally different from his own!
Kevin didn't fear strong enemies, but at this moment, his heart began to pound wildly for a simple reason—if the enemy was this powerful, could he truly protect Lee?
Just as Kevin braced himself as if facing a formidable enemy, the surrounding space suddenly began to vibrate violently. As the vibrations started, that aura seemed to sense something, suddenly falling into disarray before abruptly vanishing without a trace.
The instant the aura disappeared, a train broke through space from the heavens, flying straight towards the battlefield, and then slammed heavily onto the ground right in front of Kevin!