Chapter 25: Part (2): Eye of the Storm

“What a perfect case of switching the real for the fake…”

“Pull up her biological scan data,” Seraphina ordered coldly.

【Analyzing…】

【Facial bone structure match: 93.7%】
【Height and weight match: 97.2%】
【Gait characteristic match: 91.3%】
【Voiceprint match: 89.8%】
【Overall similarity: 93.0%】

Seraphina’s breath caught in her throat.

Ninety-three percent similarity…

That wasn’t something that could be achieved through mere makeup or disguise.

— They had found someone who looked almost exactly like Mili…

And they had modified her.

Surgical reconstruction, vocal training, behavioral conditioning…

To create such a substitute, to turn her into a human bomb—how much had the Sanctum sacrificed for this?

Even more terrifying—

How long had they been watching Mili?

She had only been in Eisenberg for barely a week!

“Oasis…”

“They had their eyes on her back then already…”

“Gilupa! Have you found Kaja’s trail yet?”

【Error: South District signal station unresponsive】
【Data link interrupted】
【Attempting to connect to backup node…】

“Switch the feed,” Seraphina forced herself to calm down, her fingers moving rapidly across the virtual interface.

On another screen, the last image of Mili and Kaja was still frozen at the street corner—
Kaja shielding the girl with her body, pushing through the chaos, running away from the palace.

Their direction was…

Southeast?

【Backup node connected successfully】

…

Seraphina flew too fast.

Even with the Valkyrie’s engines running at maximum output, Lin Lan could only watch that streak of silver light fade farther and farther away until it vanished completely into the night sky.

After the long trek, even she was breathing hard; the armor’s cooling system hummed loudly in her ears.

When Lin Lan finally stopped to take her bearings, she realized she had entered the outskirts of Eisenberg.

If her memory of the map was right—just ahead lay the Underground City.

BOOM!

A missile, one that had slipped through interception, exploded among nearby buildings.

A scorching wave of heat mixed with brick and debris came crashing down like a storm!

She barely glimpsed the targeting frame flashing red on her tactical display before instinctively raising her arm to shield herself.

Fragments clattered violently against her armor, the shockwave so strong that even the heavy exosuit staggered.

Flames towered into the sky. Smoke rolled thick and black.

The building ahead had been blown clean in half—only broken walls and burning furniture remained.

The acrid stench of smoke and charred wood filled the air.

This was supposed to be a residential zone…

Why were missiles falling here?

What the hell was Morphexia doing?

“Help! Somebody—help us!”

The faint cry came from under the rubble.

She turned toward the sound, and the armor’s sensors instantly pinpointed the source—a man trapped under a collapsed concrete slab.

His leg was crushed beneath the debris, blood seeping from the cracks in the ground.

“Your Majesty?!” The man’s eyes widened as he saw the black exosuit standing in the street, light glinting off its armor. “Your Majesty! Please—help me!”

Lin Lan froze for a moment.

Your Majesty?

She looked down at herself—

The tall, black-painted armor gleamed under the firelight, imposing and regal.

To a civilian, the different models were indistinguishable—especially when both were Valkyrie units.

Mistaking her for Seraphina wasn’t strange at all.

“Help…”

The man’s voice was fading, his hand trembling before falling limply to the ground.

Lin Lan hesitated—then moved.

She gripped the concrete slab, braced herself, and with the armor’s servos whining under strain, lifted the multi-ton debris off the man.

“Get out!” her electronically-filtered voice barked.

The man gritted his teeth, dragging himself free, leaving long streaks of blood on the ground.

THUD!

The slab fell back into place, kicking up a thick cloud of dust.

He lay on the rubble, gasping for air. “Thank you, Your Majesty… thank you…”

But before Lin Lan could reply, a burst of gunfire split the air.

Ratatatatatat!

Flames flashed through the mist, bullets whistling past and sparking against the ground.

Lin Lan spun around—dozens of red hostile markers flickered across her HUD.

—Sanctum soldiers.

They wore matching gray combat uniforms, some with strange warpaint across their faces, and all of them were firing in her direction.

Except… their target wasn’t her.

The wounded man behind her coughed in terror, curling up as bullets struck closer.

“Bastards!”

Lin Lan roared, stepping forward to shield him. The rounds clanged off her armor, scattering harmless sparks.

Her arm-cannon whirred as she raised it toward the enemy.

But suddenly—their fire stopped.

The soldiers looked at each other, confused.

One of them pulled off his helmet and shouted:

“Hold your fire! She’s one of ours—it’s the Valkyrie! Our ally!”

Lin Lan frowned.

Through her external speakers, her voice came out low and sharp:

“What do you think you’re doing? Why are you attacking civilians?”

“Commander, we were ordered to clear the area of hostiles.”

The squad leader jogged over, lowering his rifle. “The Divine Envoy said—anyone who stands against the Holy War is an enemy!”

“An enemy?” Lin Lan’s tone was ice.

“Where is Morphexia?”

“The Divine Envoy is in the southern district,” the man answered.

Lin Lan’s heart sank.

In that instant, she understood—Morphexia never intended for her to be part of this at all.

A feint? A diversion?

No—this was a full-scale invasion.

“A bloodbath…” Lin Lan muttered.

She was about to question the commander further when cries erupted from the nearby building—desperate, terrified screams.

“Your Majesty! Help us!”
“Please, save my child!”

She turned.

Several soldiers were kicking down a door, dragging the remaining civilians out like animals.

“Stop them.”

“Commander, we’re just—”

“Enough!”

Lin Lan’s arm-cannon flared, its targeting laser sweeping across their chests.

“Stand down. Now.”

“C-Commander, you—” the captain stammered.

“Open your damn eyes!” Lin Lan’s voice thundered through the speakers. “Do you even understand what you’re doing?”

The oppressive weight of the Valkyrie armor filled the air like a storm cloud.

The soldiers faltered.

None of them knew what to say.

This war had already gone far beyond their understanding.

They were told it was a diversion—just to draw the Queen’s attention.
So why had it turned into a massacre?

Why were they killing civilians?

Why had Morphexia’s orders twisted into this?

They didn’t know.

They were just following orders.

Lin Lan exhaled slowly, forcing down her fury.

Morphexia…

What was that woman really planning?

“Listen,” Lin Lan said, her voice dropping into a deadly calm. “I don’t care what orders you’ve been given. From this moment on, you will cease all attacks on civilians.”

“But Commander—”

“No buts.”

She aimed the second cannon at the captain’s chest. “You have ten seconds to clear this area.”

The soldiers stiffened.

Faced with a fully armed Valkyrie, they had no choice.

The captain gritted his teeth and signaled retreat. “Fall back!”

“Move,” Lin Lan said coldly. “Leave the way you came.”

The troops scrambled to obey. The captain lingered a moment, glancing back.

“The Divine Envoy won’t be pleased…”

“We’ll report this,” he warned.

“Do that. It’s my problem.” Lin Lan didn’t look back.

When they were gone, she returned to the wounded man.

“Are you really… Her Majesty?” he asked weakly, awe and confusion mixing in his eyes.

Lin Lan didn’t answer. She simply checked his injuries.

“Fractured tibia—clean break. It’ll heal,” she said. “You, there—use a door panel for a stretcher. Get him to the nearest med station.”

A few able-bodied residents rushed to help.

“Thank you… if not for you, we—”

“Don’t,” Lin Lan cut him off.

“Those soldiers—how far have they advanced into the city?”

“That way…” the man pointed southwest. “But it’s dangerous—too many of them…”

“I know.”

Lin Lan rose to her feet.

She had to find Morphexia.

She had to uncover her true purpose.

Seraphina had likely been deceived too—and Mili was probably already beyond her reach.

Whatever the Sanctum’s mad envoy was planning, if Lin Lan could find Mili first, she could still stop it.

At the very least—

She couldn’t let Morphexia near her.

“Get to safety,” Lin Lan ordered the civilians. “Go where the broadcasts say. Hide, and don’t come out.”

“This war will end soon…”

She activated her armor’s tracker, marking the soldiers’ retreat path.

If Morphexia was really there, they’d be meeting face to face soon enough.

Morphexia…

Lin Lan repeated the name in her mind, her steps heavy as she strode into the dark.

“You’d better have a damn good explanation…”

Her footsteps echoed, deep and metallic, fading into the night.

She had once believed she was strong enough—cold enough—to do anything for revenge.

But now, she realized—some things weren’t worth losing, even for vengeance.

Things like…

Conscience.