Chapter 31: The Gods' Last Stand

​The scene opens on the ruined balcony, where R56 stands as a lone sentinel over the trembling Saintess.

High above, framed by the silver glow of the moon, Miyeru lifted her dagger. The jagged purple energy hummed with a frequency that made the very air bleed.

​"Any last words, filthy Ranger?" she asked, her voice as cold as the void between stars.

Her gaze was locked, the absolute focus of a predator that had already tasted the kill.

​R56 didn't flinch. Instead, a slow, dangerous smirk spread across his face as he looked straight into her eyes.

"Oh, hell yeah."

He took a sharp breath and roared toward the sky, "MARY! RIGHT NOW!"

​Miyeru’s eyes widened in a rare moment of confusion. Suddenly, a massive, glowing ring of ancient script manifested over her head, and the clouds erupted as the Gods of the 98th Universe appeared in a circle, their divine forms radiating blinding light.

​"Unleash the Heaven’s Pacification Ring!" Goddess Mary’s voice boomed from the heavens.

"No restraints! End her!"

​The combined power of a hundred deities converged into a single point of light, striking Miyeru with the force of a supernova.

The resulting explosion turned the night into day, followed by a silence so heavy it felt like the world had stopped breathing.

​From the balcony, Oralia whispered, her voice trembling with hope,

"Is... is it over?"

​The smoke cleared. Below, where the explosion had scorched the earth, a figure slowly rose. Miyeru stood in the center of the crater, her suit shredded and her body covered in cuts and bruises—but she was standing. Her eyes flared with a lethal purple light that eclipsed the moon.

​"Was that your grand plan, Ranger?" Miyeru hissed, turning a gaze of pure, unfiltered malice back toward R56.

​Oralia gasped, her legs giving out.

"How? That was the Pacification Ring... the ultimate judgment of the heavens. No one survives that."

​R56 remained silent, a single bead of sweat tracing a path down his temple. The "Mage" and "Paladin" patches weren't going to be enough.

​"No," a third voice called out from the smoke-filled gardens.

"That wasn't the grand plan."

​Miyeru turned slowly toward the source of the voice.

"Oh... so the most trashy filth of all has finally crawled out of the wreckage."

​R98 emerged from the shadows. His suit was a ruin of blood and dust, and with a sickening crack, he finished snapping his dislocated shoulder back into its socket.

A familiar, mocking smile appeared on his battered face.

​"That's right, you moron crybaby!" R98 shouted, sticking his tongue out in a childish, trashy taunt.

"Now that your overpowered brother isn't here to hold your hand, who's going to wipe your tears? Poor little girl!"

​But to his surprise, Miyeru didn't snap. She didn't scream or lose her cool.

She simply watched him, her expression hardening into a mask of cold, professional murder.

​"You don't have to worry about my tears," she replied, her voice a low, terrifying whisper.

"I'll wipe them away using your severed hands."

 

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Chapter 31.5: The Lockdown

​The scene continues with R98 standing in the smoldering garden, his smirk widening as he stares down the bruised but lethal Miyeru.

"Oh? It seems the crybaby has finally grown fangs. You want my hands? Go ahead and try. But you’re missing something painfully obvious."

​R98 gestured to the surrounding gods still hovering in the sky.

"The moment you tracked us down, the Gods attacked with everything they had. You didn't find us, Miyeru. We baited you here. This whole palace is a cage."

​Miyeru let out a long, cold sigh.

"It changes nothing. If I have to kill every living soul in this universe to keep my brother safe, I will. If none of you are left alive, the R300s won't come.
They’ll have no reason to breach the barrier."

​R98 let out a sharp, mocking laugh.

"You really are naive. You think the R300s are coming for us? They follow their own protocols, kid. They don't care about three maintenance officers.
They’re coming for the breach... they're coming for you."

​"Enough trash!" Miyeru’s energy flared, a jagged purple aura beginning to vibrate around her.

"I’m done falling for your tricks."

​"Oh, really?" R98’s eyes glinted.

"You’re already in the trap. This garden is littered with hidden portals planted by the local gods. One wrong step and you'll be teleported to the furthest edge of the galaxy."

​Miyeru didn't respond. Instead, her body began to glow with a violent purple light as she attempted to "phase" out of the current dimension—shifting her molecular structure to bypass the physical space where the portals would be. But as soon as she entered the dimensional fold, a massive surge of blue electricity arced across her body.

​She let out a piercing scream of agony, the dimension literally rejecting her. She was slammed back into reality, falling to her knees as smoke rose from her suit.

​R98 cackled.

"Oh, Miyeru! You just said you wouldn't fall for my words, and then you did exactly that! You really think we had time to plant portals like landmines? That’s a terrible strategy. Instead, I used my Manager overrides to temporarily Deadlock the dimensions around this palace. You can't phase out, and you can't teleport. You're stuck in the mud with us."

​Miyeru slowly stood up, her hair shadowing her face, her expression unreadable.

"You Rangers... you truly are filthy."

​As the confrontation escalated, the sounds of rushing footsteps echoed through the garden.

Derrick, Liora, Antonio, Daniel, and the Prime Minister arrived, breathless and wide-eyed, stopping behind R98 to witness the standoff.

​Suddenly, Miyeru began to laugh. It wasn't her usual arrogant giggle; it was a deep, unhinged cackle that made even R98’s smirk flicker with a hint of doubt.

​She stopped abruptly, her purple gaze snapping toward the royals and warriors of Genova.
"You all... you are seriously helping these filth?" she asked, her voice dripping with venomous pity.

"You think they will protect your world? Your homes? You have absolutely no idea what a 'Ranger' truly is, do you?"

​R98’s expression went flat, his hair falling over his eyes as a heavy, suffocating silence filled the garden.

​

To be continued...

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