Illimitable Until Death

“Li-Kun?!” Shirayuki exclaimed in surprise when she saw the figure of the person who had appeared at this time.

“You…?!” Jeanne was equally astonished by the unexpected attack in the heart of their headquarters and her eyes widened in disbelief.

“Wait… Wait a moment!” Aria burst in from outside the door, glaring at Fang Li. “Didn’t we agree on a covert operation?”

“Article Five of the Butei Charter: Actions should be swift, aiming for a decisive victory.” Fang Li observed Jeanne’s ever-changing complexion and smiled lightly. “Since there’s an enemy moving around alone here, it’s better to take her down. We won’t need to search for the Professor, and having Miss Jeanne guide us could be even better, don’t you think?”

“Miss… Miss Jeanne?” Jeanne was surprisingly flustered by the ordinary term, her charming face slightly flushed. However, she composed herself and mockingly said, “I never thought you would infiltrate I-U. Truly foolish.”

Faced with Jeanne’s mockery, Fang Li hadn’t spoken yet when Aria interjected.

“When deciding to fight against vicious criminals like you, we may not be smart, but we still fight.” Aria aimed her gun at Jeanne, her crimson eyes reflecting a resolute emotion. She stated, “Demon Sword, you’re also one of those who falsely accused my mother. 107 years of her sentence were because of you. I’m arresting you.”

“Feel free to try if you can.” Jeanne glanced at Aria, her charming face revealing an unexpectedly compassionate emotion as she continued, “Kanzaki-Holmes-Aria, you shouldn’t have come to I-U.”

These words made Fang Li’s eyebrows furrow slightly.

What did that mean?

Aria also seemed puzzled. Just as she was about to say something, Shirayuki, still on the bed, spoke up.

“Jeanne is right, Kanzaki-San.” Shirayuki gazed at Aria with a hint of bitterness and said, “You shouldn’t have come here.”

“Wha… What?” Confusion finally appeared on Aria’s face. She exclaimed, “Why can’t I come to I-U? Are you trying to scare me?”

“Shirayuki.” Fang Li transferred his vision to Shirayuki’s body and asked, “What’s going on?”

“… I-U is a very dangerous place.” Shirayuki hesitated, her words trailing off. “And, the leader of I-U is Aria’s…”

Before she could finish her sentence, an unexpected event occurred.

“Crack… Crack…”

Suddenly, the room’s temperature plummeted. With crystalline sounds, moisture in the air condensed into ice particles, falling around them.

Seeing this, Fang Li’s expression turned stern, and the dagger in his hand moved suddenly.

“Pu Chi—!”

The sharp dagger placed against Jeanne’s neck cut through her throat, the blade sliding down until her head flew into the air.

“Fang Li?!”

“Li-Kun?!”

Aria and Shirayuki were both utterly shocked.

However, in the next moment, they witnessed something remarkable.

After Jeanne’s head was viciously severed by Fang Li, it gradually frosted over as it soared. Even Jeanne’s headless body was freezing.

But no, it wasn’t her body freezing; the body itself was made of ice.

Aria and Shirayuki finally comprehended what was happening.

“Is this a decoy?”

Indeed.

It was a decoy.

A decoy made of ice.

Perhaps due to the near-execution of the first-generation Jeanne by burning, the Jeanne Clan had been researching ice-based Magecraft for generations.

Thus, Jeanne wasn’t only a Saintess, but also a Strega (Witch).

According to the Butei’s high criteria for super ability investigative research, Jeanne was a Choutei.

A Choutei employing ice-based Magecraft.

“This is the deep sea, a place where I can fully utilize my abilities. You picked the wrong target.” Jeanne’s voice echoed from all around.

Shortly afterward, the room’s entrance began to ice over suddenly.

“Stay inside and behave.”

With these words, the door gradually sealed shut with ice.

“When did she…” Only then did Aria’s slightly anxious voice emerge from behind the frozen door.

Outside the door, Jeanne’s lips curled up slightly as she arrogantly said, “You are just a Butei, as expected, you’re no match for a Choutei.”

As her words fell, another voice suddenly interjected.

“Is that so?”

“…!” Jeanne was taken aback, quickly turned around, and looked at her back.

There, Fang Li stared at Jeanne with a half-smile on his face, his dagger agilely spinning between his fingers, the cold glint of the sharp blade shimmering incessantly.

“You…” Jeanne involuntarily took a step back, her hand resting on the hilt of the Knight’s sword at her waist, and she instinctively asked, “When…?”

“If you’re asking when I came out, I can tell you it was when I cut off your decoy’s head,” Fang Li said calmly. “If I had a way to rush in and subdue you before you noticed, I naturally had a way to rush out in an instant, don’t you think?”

However, that wasn’t the main point.

“Jeanne d’Arc.” Fang Li looked at Jeanne and suddenly said, “Lead me to the Professor.”

Upon hearing this, Jeanne was stunned on the spot.

Fang Li seemed unconcerned, almost muttering to himself, and continued, “Riko hid the professor’s true identity, and your and Shirayuki’s reactions to Aria’s arrival at I-U were rather subtle. All these signs are telling me that while I don’t know the specifics, letting Aria meet the professor might not be a good idea. Am I right?”

This time, Jeanne fell silent.

“Lead me to the professor.” Fang Li said exceptionally calmly, “Since I’ve given up on continuing to hide, I assume you wouldn’t be afraid to let me meet the professor, would you?”

“… You don’t need to provoke me like this, Gun Magician.” Jeanne retracted her hand from the sword’s hilt, looked at Fang Li, and said, “Fine, in any case, if it’s you, the professor will probably be quite happy to meet you.”

After saying that, Jeanne turned around and said to Fang Li, “Follow me.”

Fang Li nodded and shifted his gaze, looking in the direction of the icy door. He said, “Shirayuki, stay here with Aria. Don’t let Aria out, no matter what.”

“Under… Understood.” Shirayuki’s voice came from within the frozen door.

“Wait! Why has it come to this?!” Aria’s sharp, childlike voice resounded loudly.

However, Fang Li had already followed Jeanne and left the room.