Yuri froze in place.
Was this... a phantom?
As the figure vanished from sight, Yuri hurriedly gave chase.
But when he passed through a patch of white fog, all he saw were the Devil Knights who had been waiting for so ti, and upon seeing Yuri, they imdiately approached him.
"Captain, where did you run off to?"
"Why did you take so long?"
Yuri quickly asked, "Did any of you see soone run past? Soone dressed in Night Star's uniform!"
The Devil Knights looked at each other with seriousness in their eyes, despite all wearing masks, as if they could see the gravity of the situation in each other's masked gaze.
Was the captain... infected too?
But at that mont, one of the Devil Knights stepped forward, sowhat anxiously saying, "Captain, I think I encountered him too, but I don't know if it was a hallucination. He spoke a sentence to and then disappeared."
Soone else had seen it too!
Yuri imdiately turned to look at him, "What did he say?"
"He said..." The Devil Knight took a deep breath, trying to suppress the fear in his heart, yet his voice still trembled uncontrollably, "he said his na was Gerard."
Gerard?!
Everyone was stunned.
Then, another knight stepped forward.
"I... I encountered him too," he said nervously. "He didn't say who he was, just kept repeating the sa sentence over and over."
"What sentence?"
"My son... is still waiting for ."
...
After listening to Gerard's account, Ina felt her breath catching.
What had she heard?
A new god had erged within the Lyra God, a new god who wanted to ascend by killing Lyra God?
And this so-called New Chaser Association was the new god's followers?
They were close to succeeding, and even Bishop Hallman, one of the Five Great Bishops, had died this way?
And Lyra City was built atop the Lyra God's body.
Now the Lyra God lay sleeping and could not awaken, and Gerard's rush to the train station that morning was to try and rouse Lyra God's body directly in order to awaken Him.
All of this was so fantastical that Ina thought it was a poor story Gerard had fabricated more than ten years ago to lull her to sleep.
But it wasn't completely poor because there were many things Ina herself had not realized.
For instance, the image of the Lyra God, which she, a mber of the Devil's Army, could not rember if Gerard had not ntioned it.
No wonder Gerard said that the thing inside him was not anything particularly important.
Compared to Lyra, spiritual duality indeed did not seem worth fretting about.
"This is truly... unimaginable," Ina said softly.
"It seems you are willing to believe ."
"Although I am very reluctant to believe," Ina said with a bitter smile, "intuition tells it's true."
She paused, then looked straight at Gerard.
"Have you been facing all this alone? For ten years?"
Gerard shook his head, "No, not that long. I found out these things only after coming back."
"So, how did you co to realize it?"
"This... I can't tell you," Gerard said softly, "I'm sorry, Ina, not yet, at least."
Ina realized that it probably had to do with the other personality. She nodded slightly, "I understand. So, what do you plan to do now?"
"The new god intends to kill Lyra in his sleep," Gerard slowly revealed what Bai Wei had told him. "If Lyra could wake up earlier, perhaps there's still room for negotiation."
"To awaken Lyra?" Ina asked, "Like what you tried this morning? I also heard that sound, but it seed unsuccessful."
"Because the part exposed at the train station is not the core part." Gerard's expression also beca strange when discussing his own god, "So that part wasn't as... direct. The Lord's core part is in the five towers."
"I see," Ina said, "but you can't enter those towers, can you? The towers are guarded too strictly, right?"
Gerard nodded.
"So, the reason you ca to was to set the next target on the Fifth Zone?" Ina understood, "The sub-tower in the Fourth District has been damaged, and among the remaining zones, the Skeleton Corps and the New Chaser Association control three, which are not easy to enter. But the Fifth Zone is different, controlled by the Devil's Army. You hope to use my identity to enter the Fifth Zone, right?"
Gerard was sowhat surprised that Ina could understand everything so quickly, and his gaze towards her changed.
Just like Ian back then.
She truly was no longer a child.
A complex emotion rose in Gerard's heart, but he couldn't tell if it was relief or sothing else.
"Yes." Gerard put those thoughts aside and continued, "Operations in the Fifth Zone depend on the pass. The Skeleton Corps won't search there, so... I need your help."
As soon as Gerard finished speaking, Ina had already handed the pass to him, leaving him montarily stunned.
He had thought he would have to say more to get Ina's agreent.
Ina saw what Gerard was thinking and said softly, "Ten years ago, I couldn't believe you, but this ti, I won't make that mistake."
Gerard's mouth twitched slightly, as if he were smiling.
He was about to take the pass, but Ina withdrew it, "But I have two conditions."
"What are the conditions?"
"The first, you have to take with you."
Gerard imdiately frowned.
"Please agree," Ina said calmly, "ten years ago you took my brother; this ti, after ten years, I hope you take ... no matter what happens, I don't want to be left alone again."
Gerard looked at Ina silently, Ian's image surfacing in his mind once more.
He sighed gently, "Okay."
Ina pursed her lips, seeming to breathe a sigh of relief, then continued, "The second condition, it's about that other personality inside you... I know you don't care, but it's no small matter. After all this is over, I will find the Purification Source Crystal and help you get rid of that guy. I hope you'll cooperate with ."
"How should I cooperate?"
"Until I find the Purification Source Crystal," Ina said, her eyes earnest, a hint of pleading in her voice, "please, you must hold on... and not lose to him."
After a long silence,
Gerard said with a light laugh,
"Don't worry."
"I will win."
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