I! Cleaner!

"Princess Feiliya!"

Amidst the Scorpio director's soul being disrupted by the Soul Code, causing him to instantly fall asleep as if at light speed, a tense inquiry came from the watchtower in Military Zone 1, located a good sixty blocks away.

"All cannons below number 17 have completed initial cooling. Should we proceed with the second round of firing immediately?"

"Not yet."

After shaking her head at the questioning legion commander, Feiliya, lying on the edge of the watchtower, bit her lower lip and continued observing the situation in Scientific Zone 1 through binoculars.

This visible worry could not possibly be for someone like Leon. The target of this concern could only be Prince Andre, who adored Feiliya while also attempting to kill her twice.

Even though Leon had solemnly promised that, due to uncertainty regarding whether this "counterfeit version" of Princess Feiliya could maintain a Connection with the Watcher's Palace like true royal blood, he would do his utmost to ensure Prince Andre's survival.

However, the magnificent bombardment of over fifty thousand shells still left the emerald-eyed girl deeply unsettled. She lingered at the military binoculars, yearning to witness the situation firsthand as soon as possible.

"Don't worry, Your Highness."

Assuming naturally that Feiliya was worrying about the "daringly infiltrating" Prince Leon, and noticing her unconsciously clenched fist, the commander of the royal family's direct legion chuckled understandingly, and then comforted:

"Since Lord Leon dared to issue such an order, he naturally has the means to protect himself amidst the artillery. And if he could incapacitate our six regiments within two minutes and rescue us from Atifie's control, he surely can succeed in killing that madman Andre!"

"..."

The problem is, that's precisely what I'm afraid of!

Shifting her gaze in speechless silence, the emerald-eyed girl glanced back at the direct legion commander, gave him a perfunctory smile, and responded awkwardly:

"Hmm... Let's hope so..."

"Rest assured, it surely will!"

Not catching Feiliya's insincere words, and gazing admiringly at the brave and intelligent emerald-eyed girl standing before him, who instead of succumbing to grief after losing her parents, stood up to lead the rebellion against tyranny, the royal family's direct legion commander clenched his fist and performed a military salute, then vowed firmly:

"With Your expectations as our support, Lord Leon will surely win triumphantly, kill the rebellious Prince Andre once and for all, and save the entire Crolock Kingdom!"

"..."

For heaven's sake, just shut up!

With one flag raised after another by the commander, making her scalp tingle, Princess Feiliya's mouth twitched involuntarily. Just as she was about to turn back to say something, she suddenly felt a blur before her eyes.

Unbeknownst to her, a warm shaft of sunlight quietly spilled over the once dark and somber watchtower, breaking the previously grim and oppressive atmosphere, thereby illuminating the surroundings...

Wait a minute, why is it a shaft of sunlight?!!!

Upon seeing that peculiar sunlight with brush marks on the dark blue floor tiles of the watchtower, both the emerald-eyed girl and the commander were instantly taken aback.

Immediately following that, as if a brush soaked in oil paint was wetly spreading across a taut canvas, the shaft of sunlight with some fuzz at the edges softly flowed along the stroke's trajectory.

When it flowed near people, the invisible gigantic brush paused slightly, switching to a soft brush or silk-like material, gently swiping along the edge of the sunlight, rendering the originally sharp color block into a misty tint.

And as this mist diffused, the sunlight once clearly distinct from the human body naturally blended with the person's color, while a tint of sunlight's hue graced the hem of Feiliya's garment.

"This... what is this..."

This sudden change felt exceedingly prolonged, yet in reality, it was incredibly brief, merely one stroke, one sweep, and a light dab, too short a time for one to even blink an eye.

Before the bewildered crowd could react, the invisible gigantic brush, carrying enamored, dazzling colors, slantedly brushed in the direction sunlight fell, painting the entire district in an instant, transforming the world into a splendid painting scroll.

...

Finally found it.

Observing the giant canvas before him, where the emerald-eyed girl gazed bewilderedly at the sky, Prince Andre couldn't help but chuckle softly.

Then he picked up the sprayer beside him, wetting the paint on his brush, set down the sprayer, took up a thin and flexible wooden-handled palette knife, scraped away the naturally mixed paint, and began repainting.

Smudging, dripping, dry brushing, scraping...

Utilizing one technique after another expertly, Prince Andre's strokes set the "frozen" painting scroll in motion.

The panic-stricken emerald-eyed girl on the canvas was carried by flocks of birds painted in pointillism, traversing the skies over the Royal Capital, flying towards Destroyed Zone 1.

Yet, the soldiers attempting to halt in panic failed to rescue her in time due to the sudden collapse of the watchtower beneath them. Instead, one by one, they clung to the colonnades in alarm, shouting in rage toward the sky, watching helplessly as the emerald-eyed girl drifted afar.

Come on, come over.

Holding the palette knife, lightly chipping onto the canvas and carving out a block of blue-black city wall, blocking the commander eager to rescue, Prince Andre turned slightly, gazing gently toward the easel placed in the corner.

On the easel rested the painting "absorbent" of Atifie's "Royal Banquet," and on this frozen yet fluid mysterious scroll, nearly all the characters awaited, eagerly anticipating the banquet's commencement.

The only missing one was the tiny infant in the queen's arms, sucking its thumb.

Though the powder-like infant appeared naive and cute, compared to others in the painting, its emerald eyes lacked some "spirit," feeling somewhat stiff and inert, not dynamically engaged like the others in the artwork.

Just missing you, Feiliya.

After casting a nostalgic glance at that joyful banquet, Prince Andre turned back, now eagerly looking at the emerald-eyed girl atop the giant canvas, who had already flown to the edge of Zone 1.

Previously, your self-awareness was always Atifei-01, and I could never convince myself to genuinely regard you as my sister, hence never being able to truly paint you in.

But now it's different. Now I know your soul is the original one, and you should also understand that you are indeed the real Feiliya.

If it's you now, you'll surely be able to walk into my painting, join me in returning to that past banquet, with father, mother, and everyone else together...

However, just as Prince Andre awaited the arrival of the last family member with great anticipation, a dust-covered "little black figure" on the canvas abruptly dumped another "little black" down, pulled out a knife, and fiercely slashed at the canvas's sky!

"Shh!"

Accompanied by a soft tear-like sound, a cut appeared in the canvas sky, with a tiny segment of a silver-bright knife tip peeking through. The birds carrying the emerald-eyed girl were largely cut apart by this slash in the sky, fluttered off in all directions.

At the brink of reaching her destination, Feiliya was forcibly "cut off" in the final moments by someone, screaming as she flailed helplessly and plummeted from the sky.