Interlude: Jovian Xan Zepharion II

Bang! Bang! Bang! Three rounds of gunfire echoed through the hall.

The bullets flew — two ricocheted off the shield, but the last tore and pierced through, embedding itself in Suingi's shoulder. Yet, he neither yelped nor flinched from the impact.

Even Jovian turned to his apprentice in astonishment. The gun in her hand smoked slightly from the residual heat.

"What?" Ziyue asked, glaring back at him.

"...Who even uses that nowadays?" He pulled a sour face.

"Ironic! I'd prefer up close and personal, Uncle."

Instantly, she lunged forward, her leg crashing down like a hammer. Reflexively, Suingi crossed his arms to block. The impact sent pain searing through his limbs, forcing a grunt from his lips.

She reappeared behind him, delivering another brutal kick to his back. Suingi barely managed to track her movements before he was sent crashing through a glass wall. The pane shattered but still held. Knocked out cold, he slumped onto the floor.

Meanwhile, Jovian hurled a barrage of kunai at the empress. She slipped through them effortlessly, the blades narrowly missed her skin. A few silver strands of hair drifted to the floor.

Primarch Haoxuan crouched behind the roulette table, barking commands into his watch. "Security! Send everyone here now!"

The thin man scrambled toward the door, but the kunai embedded themselves into the floor ahead of him. He reversed course, crawling back on all fours.

Two enemies surrounded the fox empress, yet she remained unfazed.

"Who are you?" She teased, hoisting herself onto the table.

Jovian tightened his grip on his blades, their purple flames flickering. He exchanged an uncertain glance with Ziyue.

When neither responded, Nohrell smirked. "Not much for conversation, are you? Ah! Shadowbringers!" Her eyes sparkled with delight, and she clapped theatrically.

Jovian channelled mana through his legs, crushing the concrete beneath him. In a blink, he lunged at the empress at supersonic speed, his purple blade arcing straight for her neck.

She ducked, her fox ears flattening against her head, and slid to the side with acrobatic finesse. Her tail swept upward, conjuring a whirlwind that sent Jovian flying.

"Crap!" Jovian gritted his teeth, twisting mid-air. In a split second, he inhaled sharply and planted his feet against the vertical wall, absorbing the momentum — defying the laws of physics.

"What... was that windy thing?" He muttered, standing upright and stepping onto the ceiling as if gravity itself bowed to him.

Nohrell shifted her stance, glancing warily at Ziyue. Confirming the female assassin hadn't moved, she turned her attention to the man above her.

"Quite fast! But your speed is way slower than Aurora's." She claimed, clapping mockingly.

Almost instantly, in her peripheral vision, another purple dagger slashed towards her. Her eyes widened in shock. "She's even faster than that guy!"

Her tail whipped up to block, but the blade sliced cleanly through, severing a third of its length. Blood splattered across the carpet and walls as Nohrell stumbled back slightly.

"Stupid fox! Don't underestimate me!" Ziyue taunted, relishing her small victory. Her purple steel had served its purpose — inflicting the Deadman's Brand upon her soul. Soon, all her copies would be afflicted by the arc poison.

Instead of lashing out, the empress straightened herself gracefully, lips curling into a defiant smile.

Snap!

Without hesitation, Nohrell snapped her own neck. Her body collapsed to the floor.

"Noooooo!" Ziyue roared, reaching out, but it was too late.

She stomped her foot in frustration, checking for a pulse. The empress was truly gone.

"Hades' hell…" She cursed under her breath. Jovian grasped her shoulder in silent consolation.

She pushed him away and strode toward the trembling man cowering in the corner. Yanking him up by the collar, she lifted him effortlessly.

"Primarch! Where is she!?" She demanded, her eyes burning with fury.

"I~I don't know… she~she's dead, isn't she?" Haoxuan stammered, confusion evident in his eyes.

Ziyue glanced over her shoulder. Jovian was crouched at the spot where Suingi had fallen — but the advisor was gone. The man had slipped away in the chaos.

Jovian shook his head, signalling that the primarch was genuinely clueless.

"G~Guard!" Haoxuan screamed, but his cries went unheard. The illusion spell the Shadowbringers had cast before the ambush remained intact.

Unexpectedly, Ziyue set him down gently. Her purple eyes gleamed with malice as she raised her dagger.

"Please don't kill me!" Haoxuan squeezed his eyes shut. But no death came — only the sound of steel being wiped clean on his white suit.

Ziyue smiled weakly. Haoxuan almost fell for her deadly charm before snapping himself out of it.

As she turned to walk away, he called out, "Why? Why didn't you kill me?"

She flashed another smile. "Killing a man like you is pointless. Kill one, and another worse one will take your place. Cya."

With a snap of her fingers, she leapt off the building.

Jovian scratched his head, casting one last unreadable look at the primarch before vanishing into the shadows.

***

Namvie, a city under the reign of the Dunkelheit Empire.

The gold ring on Aurora's index finger vibrated as the arc comm connected.

"Astral Empress, we failed the mission…" Jovian's voice came through, tinged with rare disappointment.

"I know," Aurora replied calmly.

Her gaze shifted to Nohrell, whose pale face was inches from hers, crimson liquid dribbling from the corner of her mouth.

Aurora drove her flaming double-edged sword deep into Nohrell's torso. The fox empress heaved in pain, but her eyes never wavered.

"Psst!" Nohrell spat blood at Aurora's face, but she didn't flinch. Instead, she twisted the blade, cleaving through Nohrell's body. Blood poured onto the ground.

Even in death, her mocking smile never faded. 

Her essence shattered and disintegrated in the darkness.

Aurora stood, raising her blade to eye level. It had not served its true purpose. "How many more do I have to kill?" She wondered grimly.

A strange stillness filled the air.

Aurora's silver-white eyes widened in realisation. "Phoros!" She screamed, her voice raw.

Blinding light erupted beneath her feet. Everything turned white.

The deafening explosion obliterated the entire city. Smoke billowed in the distance, and a hundred thousand souls perished in an instant.

Yet, amidst the destruction, a lone figure staggered forward, using a sword for support. One leg twisted at an unnatural angle.

Aurora, her fractured dark armour exposing bloodied skin, groaned in agony. Her cape of legendary Ventiff, billowed through the wasteland, miraculously unscathed.

Weakly, she surveyed the ruins before her. "I underestimated you, fox… I never thought you'd destroy your own city… Auh!"

Her vision blurred. Her body gave out.

She hit the dirt, feeling its heat seep into her skin.

Her consciousness faded into darkness.