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"She thinks too highly of me, that\'s not a good thing." Ansel sighed, "I need to find a time to talk to her."

Indeed, the hardships Seraphina endured in the Red Frost Territory stemmed from her erroneous decisions, yet the root of these decisions… was Ansel\'s deliberate design.

From Ansel, there came an unmasked cruelty and the resolve of a villain.

— To conquer fate, one must sacrifice everything, for any hesitation is fatal when facing such adversaries.

Ansel of Hydral had long recognized that he never had the luxury of choice.

Seraphina worried about his mental state, concerned about the man who once cared about Helen but now seemed indifferent to her life or death, wondering what psychological impact or damage this might have caused him.

Ansel appreciated Seraphina\'s concern for him, but in reality, her worries were entirely unnecessary.

From the beginning, he had been prepared to dismantle and destroy that petite genius scholar, his former colleague and friend, whether it be Ravenna or Helen.

— It was as if from the start, he had never cared about ethics or morality, righteousness or goodness, using all means possible to crash Seraphina, to tame that proud and temperamental young wolf.

Everyone is expendable, including the person who had given up on himself three years ago.

However… he indeed had not lied to Seraphina, for in the final gamble, the ultimate trial, both Helen and Ravenna had the right to choose.

As for the reason—

"Bang!"

The door to the room was suddenly flung open, as if kicked in, and Marlina frowned towards the entrance, wondering who could be so bold and rude to dare—

Upon seeing the face of the newcomer, the young girl\'s expression instantly froze.

Her mind, momentarily halted, then began to race frantically, scouring all the information in her memory, yet she could find nothing that could explain what she was seeing.

Though identical, the aura was decidedly not —

"You should be more polite."

Ansel, however, appeared relaxed and casual as he reopened his thick book: "What? Are you enraged because the assassination failed?"

"That was not an assassination, just a notification, a death notice for a self-righteous, brainless fool."

The visitor responded emotionlessly, her voice clear yet chillingly cold, exuding an absolute detachment and... rationality.

"How does that thing feel to use?"

"Not bad." Ansel, without looking up, waved his arm, the dark bracelet on his wrist flickering with a bright glow, "Your finished product is many times stronger than Helen\'s."

"Heh."

The uninvited guest scoffed coldly: "Don\'t compare me to that slave you\'ve tamed."

The young Hydral shrugged slightly: "As you wish, then... when do you plan to make your move?"

"When she fully remembers who she is, when she can see the full extent of your vile trap, if by then... she still shamelessly and despicably calls you \'father\'—"

The petite scholar pushed up her gray-white glasses, pausing between each word:

"I will destroy her existence, from body to soul, into absolute nothingness."

After saying this, she threw a document at Ansel, her tone indifferent:

"All the resources I need are in here, bring them quickly. As for the workshop, you can temporarily use the Hydral Manor."

"Are you sure you can win?" Ansel asked with a smile.

"I can\'t see any possibility of my failure."

She responded expressionlessly, then turned and left.

At this moment, Marlina, completely bewildered and unsure how to interpret what had just happened, unusually lost control of herself and couldn\'t help but ask:

"Miss Helen, what exactly—"

"Don\'t call me by that disgusting name."

The petite scholar instantly turned around, the fierce light flickering in her mysterious purple eyes causing Marlina to feel slightly suffocated.

Decisive, cold, rational, firm, and... powerful.

Profoundly powerful.

"Here exists none who has resigned herself to degradation or self-destruction."

The genius alchemist, whose self had not been obliterated nor had given birth to new notions, declared with a voice resonant as iron:

"Here exists only Ravenna Ziegler."

Her gaze fell upon Ansel, who offered only a smile, her violet eyes devoid of any trace of fear or concession:

"Ravenna Ziegler, who will never be undone by you."

*

Within the Tower of Babel, the fifth-stage extraordinary beings maintained a constant vigil in this infirmary.

Helen had been in a coma for three days, her vital signs stable, her injuries long since healed, yet her soul, seemingly affected by the brush with mortality, had not awakened at the first opportunity.

Madam Ronger, her visage worn with fatigue, sat beside Helen\'s bed, her grip on Helen\'s hand unyielding, the sole companion who had remained steadfastly by her side since the calamity befell.

The Tower of Babel had exhausted every resource to track down the assassin, yet after three days, they had nothing to show for it. The identity of the one bold enough to attempt Helen\'s life remained a mystery.

"Why..." the lady laments as she caresses Helen\'s cheek, "Why must she endure this? Is it the teacher\'s fault? Our own fault? Ravenna merely sought to better this world, she, of all people, is the least deserving of blame."

"Why must it be her who suffers?"

Amidst such sorrowful murmurs, Helen\'s fingers suddenly quivered.

Madam Ronger, initially frozen for a second, then calls out with overwhelming joy:

"Ravenna—"

Before she can finish, the petite woman who had lain on the sickbed for three days abruptly sat upright.

Her breathing was rapid, her dim violet pupils constricting, seemingly in response to… some stress?

And Madam Ronger, overcome with emotion, failed to notice this as she reached out to embrace Helen, her voice choked with sobs: "Ravenna, are you... are you alright, you—"

"Snap."

"..."

Ronger watched in stunned silence as Helen swatted her hand away, her gaze slowly steadying into a chilling fervor within those lifeless violet eyes.

"So it is…"

Helen murmured as she threw off the covers and unsteadily rose from the bed, whispering to herself, "So it is, this is the trial Father has bestowed upon me."

"If I can just overcome this challenge, if I can defeat her, then I can—"

"Ra-Ravenna!"

Pale-faced, Ronger only reacted after Helen had taken a few steps towards the door. Despite her heartache, she called out loudly, "What are you planning to do? Come back and lie down, you need to rest!"

"Rest... No, it\'s not yet time to rest."

The wayfarer, having found a new anchor in life, voiced a determination bordering on obsession:

"It\'s time... to bring things to a close."

*