"General Zuodun has done remarkably well — it seems we actually have a chance of defeating this creature." Lady Jessica couldn't help but smile with approval as she watched the armored soldiers sever one of the Hydra's bodies.

  Lord Euphemia let out a breath of relief and said softly, "Thank goodness — Yufei City may yet be saved."

  But at that very moment, a sharp, piercing sound — like the shriek of a flute — rang out near the Hydra. The moment it did, the Hydra, which had been raging wildly, went completely still.

  "What's happening? Why has the creature stopped moving?" General Zuodun noticed the Hydra's strange behavior and found it unsettling. He considered pausing the attack to assess the situation, but thinking this was too good an opportunity to pass up, he did not order a halt. Instead, he led the other armored soldiers charging toward another of the Hydra's bodies, intent on severing a second one.

  The sharp flute-like sound rang out again. Like a command, it set the Hydra's remaining eight bodies back into motion. Its heads swept toward the five armored soldiers — but this time, differently from before, the Hydra did not attempt to bite them. Instead, its heads bypassed the armored soldiers entirely, and its bodies, each several meters thick, coiled around them.

  The armored soldiers were at extremely close range to the Hydra, and their suits were too heavy and cumbersome to evade the attack in time. All five were caught and wrapped tightly in the Hydra's crushing coils.

  "No — I can't move!" General Zuodun let out a panicked cry. The Hydra had wound itself around him like a great python and was squeezing tighter and tighter, crushing him in its grip.

  Under the tremendous force of the Hydra's body, a series of sickening cracks came from General Zuodun's armor. His joints and bones were forced out of alignment, and his neck, spine, and joints, overwhelmed by the immense pressure, were twisted and snapped.

  Though the armor pting could barely withstand the Hydra's crushing force, the joints connecting the pieces of armor could not. Under the creature's devastating grip, all five armored soldiers had their joints and bones wrenched out of pce with a chorus of cracking sounds — their necks and spines broken outright by the Hydra's overwhelming strength.

  "General Zuodun — what is your status? Answer me — what is happening?!" Lady Jessica screamed frantically into her communicator. The only reply that came back was a chorus of agonized cries.

  In under a minute, the Hydra had crushed the bones and joints of all five armored soldiers to pieces. General Zuodun and the four others fell completely still and silent, and no matter how desperately Lady Jessica called out to them, there was no response.

  When she realized General Zuodun had been killed by the Hydra, Lady Jessica's face turned white as a sheet. She looked at Lord Euphemia with a stricken expression and said, "It seems... it seems General Zuodun has failed. They're all gone."

  "How... how could this happen?" Lord Euphemia buried her face in her hands, unable to accept what she had just heard.

  After killing the five armored soldiers, the Hydra continued crawling through the city, relentlessly spewing fire and snapping at the people of Yufei City. Those residents who had not managed to escape in time were either burned alive or devoured by the creature.

  Fmes consumed the entire city. Buildings colpsed one after another under the Hydra's battering assault. Yufei City had become a city of death, with people being killed by the Hydra at every passing moment.

  Lord Euphemia stood on the watchtower, watching the Hydra ravage the city in the distance and sughter its inhabitants. Her eyes were filled with desotion and grief. She murmured, "What do we do — what can we possibly do to save them?!"

  At that moment, the Suzaku Guard Captain spoke. "Lord Euphemia, I strongly advise that we withdraw immediately to avoid falling under the Hydra's attack."

  Lord Euphemia looked at the Suzaku Guard Captain with a stunned expression. "Withdraw? What about the people of Yufei City — if we leave, what will become of them?"

  The Suzaku Guard Captain said with unshakable calm, "There is nothing to be done. Even if we remain here, we cannot stop this creature. What matters most right now is your safety, my Lord. The aircraft is ready and can take us away from here at any moment. Please — let us go."

  But Lord Euphemia remained rooted to the spot and did not move. She murmured, "If my city is destroyed by this creature and every person in Yufei City is killed, what is the point of my escaping safely?"

  The Suzaku Guard Captain urged her, "But there is no purpose in staying here any longer."

  Lord Euphemia held firm. "No. If I leave now, Yufei City is finished. I have to stay. There must be a way."

  The Suzaku Guard Captain let out a deep sigh. Seeing how resolute Lord Euphemia was, he said no more and simply remained quietly at her side. Then the sound of footsteps reached them — it seemed someone was approaching.

  Upon sensing the approach, Lord Euphemia and the others quickly turned to look. A young man and a young woman had appeared on the watchtower at some point unnoticed and were walking toward them.

  "Who are you two? Guards — seize them!" Lady Jessica didn't recognize either of them and immediately snapped at them in a sharp voice. Several armed soldiers stepped forward at once, moving quickly toward the pair.

  The two leapt up in a single bound and cleared the soldiers entirely, jumping right over their heads and continuing toward Lord Euphemia. Lady Jessica, fearing they meant harm to Lord Euphemia, cried out in arm, "Suzaku Guard Captain — stop them! Don't let them near Lord Euphemia!"

  The Suzaku Guard Captain did not respond. He stared at the two with an expression full of astonishment. Lady Jessica shouted at him again, "What are you standing there for — go and stop them?!"

  The Suzaku Guard Captain snapped back to his senses. He turned to Lady Jessica and said, "Please wait. I know these two. They are the same outsiders who helped me hold back the Hydra earlier. I don't believe they mean any harm by coming here."

  "So it's them?!" Lady Jessica was taken aback. She waved a hand to signal the soldiers to stand down for the moment and fixed the two young strangers with a wary, scrutinizing gaze. The two were none other than Rulu and Kallen.

  Rulu stopped about five meters in front of Lord Euphemia. After Lady Jessica had observed him for a moment, she said to him in an accusatory tone, "Just what exactly are the two of you doing here?!"

  Rulu's gaze went straight to Lord Euphemia. A curious smile crossed his face as he said, "I'm here to save you — Lord Euphemia."